Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), an essential transcriptional mediator of adipogenesis, lipid metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and glucose homeostasis, is increasingly recognized as a key player in inflammatory cells and in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, congestive heart failure, and atherosclerosis. PPAR-gamma agonists, th...

In both colon cancer and type 2 diabetes, metabolic changes induced by upregulation of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling and downregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) may help account for the frequent association of these two diseases. In both diseases, PPAR gamma is downregulated while the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is upregulated. In colon cancer, up...

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma plays an important role in adipogenesis. However, the functions of PPAR-gamma in differentiated adipocytes have remained unclear. The role of PPAR-gamma in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes was therefore investigated by overexpression of a dominant negative mutant of this protein (PPAR-gamma-DeltaC) that lacks the 16 COOH-terminal amino acids and t...

BACKGROUND We have previously demonstrated a glomerulo-tubular 'crosstalk' operating in the pathogenesis of tubulointerstitial injury in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). The present study aims to explore any possible beneficial effect of a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) agonist in alleviating the tubulointerstitial inflammation in IgAN. METHODS Human proximal tubular epi...

PURPOSE The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) is the target of the insulin sensitizing thiazolidinediones (TZDs), a class of drugs used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Glaucoma and other retinal disorders are some of the major complications in diabetes. In the present study, the role that PPAR-gamma ligands play in protecting retinal ganglion cells (RGC...

Peroxisome-proliferator-activated-receptors (PPARs) are transcription factors belonging to the superfamily of nuclear receptors. The isoforms of PPAR include PPAR alpha, PPAR gamma and PPAR delta (also known as PPAR beta). Generally, PPARs potentiate insulin sensitivity, improve glucose/lipid metabolism, suppress inflammation/oxidative stress, attenuate excessive immune responses, regulate cell...

Cancer cell invasion and metastasis require the concerted action of several proteases that degrade extracellular matrix proteins and basement membranes. Recent reports suggest the plasminogen activator system plays a critical role in pancreatic cancer biology. In the present study, we determined the contribution of the plasminogen activator system to pancreatic cancer cell invasion in vitro. Mo...

background: the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (ppar-γ) is a nuclear hormone receptor. it is predominantly expressed in adipose tissue and as a receptor for thiazolidinediones, it has drawn attentions towards itself as a key molecule to trigger pathways involving in some diseases such as cancers, type 2 diabetes, inflammations and osteoporosis. a proline changed to alanine in codo...

In an effort to understand the role of key eicosanoid-forming enzymes in the activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), this study was designed to evaluate the possible contributions of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) and group IIA secretory phospholipase A(2) (sPLA(2)) in the regulation of PPAR-mediated gene transcription in a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2). The ...

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) is a prototypical metabolic nuclear receptor that acts as a lipid sensor, integrating the homeostatic control of energy, lipid, and glucose metabolism. This perspective will highlight three lines of evidence which place PPAR-gamma as a key player in a feed-forward pathway favoring differentiation and energy storage by adipocytes.