Pathophysiological Roles of PPAR gamma in Gastrointestinal Epithelial Cells

Although the highest levels of PPAR gamma expression in the body have been reported in the gastrointestinal epithelium, little is known about the physiological functions of that receptor in the gut. Moreover, there is considerable controversy concerning the effects of thiazolidinedione PPAR gamma agonists on the two major diseases of the gastrointestinal track: colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. We will undertake to review both historical and recently published data with a view toward summarizing what is presently known about the roles of PPAR gamma in both physiological and pathological processes in the gastrointestinal epithelium. Copyright (C) 2008 Brian M. Necela and E. Aubrey Thompson. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.