PPAR gamma: The Portrait of a Target Ally to Cancer Chemopreventive Agents

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR gamma), one of three ligand-activated transcription factors named PPAR, has been identified as a molecular target for cancer chemopreventive agents. PPAR gamma was initially understood as a regulator of adipocyte differentiation and glucose homeostasis while later on, it became evident that it is also involved in cell differentiation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis, biological processes which are deregulated in cancer. It is now established that PPAR gamma ligands can induce cell differentiation and yield early antineoplastic effects in several tumor types. Moreover, several bioactive natural products with cancer protecting potential are shown to operate through activation of PPAR gamma. Overall, PPAR gamma appears to be a prevalent target ally to cancer chemopreventive agents and therefore pursuing research in this area is of great relevance. Copyright (C) 2008 Ioannis Sainis et al.