Existing and potential therapeutic approaches targeting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in the management of Type 2 diabetes

The increasing number of patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes generates an urgent need for effective and safe treatment policy. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear receptors involved in cellular metabolism and cell differentiation through the transcriptional regulation of various genes. Their role in lipid and carbohydrate homeostasis has made them an important target for the development of novel therapeutic agents for the management of Type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and obesity. Some PPAR gamma agonists are already in clinical use, but there is a constant search for novel, more potent and safer agents. Development of new technologies, like parallel high-throughput screening, has led to the synthesis and characterisation of dozens of new compounds exhibiting high selectivity towards one or more PPAR subtypes. This review focuses on strategies in developing novel agents targeting PPARs and offering new potential therapeutic benefits in the management of Type 2 diabetes.