PPARS, metabolic disease and atherosclerosis.
PPAR-alpha belongs to the family of nuclear receptors. Activated PPAR-alpha stimulates the expression of genes involved in fatty acid and lipoprotein metabolism. PPAR-alpha activators, such as the normolipidaemic fibric acids, decrease triglyceride concentrations by increasing the expression of lipoprotein lipase and decreasing apo C-III concentration. Furthermore, they increase HDL-cholesterol by increasing the expression of apo A-I and apo A-II. PPAR-alpha activation by fibric acids improves insulin sensibility, and decreases thrombosis and vascular inflammation. PPAR-alpha activators (gemfibrozil) decrease the risk of coronary heart disease in patients with normal LDL-cholesterol and low HDL-cholesterol (VA-HIT) and they slow the progression of premature coronary atherosclerosis (BECAIT) (bezafibrate), particularly in patients with type 2 diabetes (DAIS) (fenofibrate).
Fruchart
J C
JC
Unité de Recherche sur les Lipoprotéines et l'Athérosclérose, Faculté de Pharmacie, Inserm U545, Institut Pasteur et Université de Lille 2, Lille, France. Jean-Charles.Fruchart@pasteur-lille.fr
Staels
B
B
Duriez
P
P
D000818:Animals; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000378:metabolism; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000378:metabolism; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology*
D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D014157:Transcription Factors