Topic summary
PPAR
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor.
History
The first PPAR (PPARα) was discovered in 1990 during the search for a molecular target of a group of agents then referred to as peroxisome proliferators, as they increased peroxisomal numbers in rodent liver tissue, apart from improving insulin sensitivity. These agents, pharmacologically related to the fibrates, were discovered in the early 1980s. When it turned out that PPARs played a versatile role in biology, the agents were in turn termed PPAR ligands. The best-known PPAR ligands are the thiazolidinediones.