AR and pulmonary arterial hypertension: Studies have indicated that inhibiting AR can downregulate ET-1 expression and alleviate endotoxin-induced pulmonary hypertension [14,15]; AR plays a crucial role in regulating pneumonic diseases and oxidative-stress-induced inflammatory damage [16,17]; inhibiting AR reduces the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF in hypoxia-induced colorectal cancer cells [18]; and AR participates in the regulation of the osmotic-stress-responsive transcription factor OREBP in response to osmotic stress [19].