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Nature Medicine 7, 23 - 24 (2001)
doi:10.1038/83301

Progress in cardiovascular biology: PPAR for the course

Mitchell A. Lazar1

  1. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Departments of Medicine and Genetics and The Penn Diabetes Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
    e-mail: lazar@mail.med.upenn.edu

Studies on mice lacking the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) suggest that PPAR ligands reduce lipid accumulation in foamy macrophages, and may target other receptors. These findings warrant an in-depth investigation into the gene regulatory mechanisms of PPAR ligands, which are currently being developed as drugs to treat atherosclerosis and diabetes. (pages 41–47)

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are a group of lipid-activated nuclear receptors which regulate genes involved in lipid and glucose metabolism. PPAR-alpha is highly expressed in liver, heart, muscle and kidney, as well as in cells of the arterial wall, while PPAR-gamma is expressed at high levels in white adipose tissue, where it activates adipocyte differentiation1.