title: Targeting PPARβ/δ for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The nuclear receptors Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPAR)α and PPARγ are therapeutic targets for hypertriglyceridemia and insulin resistance, respectively. Evidence is now emerging that the PPARβ/δ isotype is a potential pharmacological target for the treatment of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this review, the capacity of PPARβ/δ to prevent the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus is discussed. Special emphasis is placed on preclinical studies and the molecular mechanisms responsible for its actions in the main cell types involved in these pathologies: adipocytes, β-cells, skeletal muscle cells and hepatocytes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While several concerns remain for the development of PPARβ/δ agonists, these drugs have demonstrated their efficacy in the treatment of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus in preclinical studies, as well as in a few short clinical studies in humans. Although this data is promising, additional studies must be performed to confirm the efficacy and safety of these drugs in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
authors.affiliation: University of Barcelona, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Laia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salvadó
authors.forename: Lucía
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Serrano-Marco
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barroso
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Palomer
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Carrera
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D047494:PPAR delta / Q000819:agonists* / Q000378:metabolism; D048068:PPAR-beta / Q000819:agonists* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D047494:PPAR delta; D048068:PPAR-beta