The Role of PPARs in Cancer

Abstract

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors that belong to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. PPAR is mainly expressed in the liver, where it activates fatty acid catabolism. PPAR activators have been used to treat dyslipidemia, causing a reduction in plasma triglyceride and elevation of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. PPAR is expressed ubiquitously and is implicated in fatty acid oxidation and keratinocyte differentiation. PPAR activators have been proposed for the treatment of metabolic disease. PPAR2 is expressed exclusively in adipose tissue and plays a pivotal role in adipocyte differentiation. PPAR is involved in glucose metabolism through the improvement of insulin sensitivity and represents a potential therapeutic target of type 2 diabetes. Thus PPARs are molecular targets for the development of drugs treating metabolic syndrome. However, PPARs also play a role in the regulation of cancer cell growth. Here, we review the function of PPARs in tumor growth.