[Protective role of PPARgamma agonists against cardiovascular disease].

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) is a nuclear receptor protein. It functions as a master transcriptional factor that promotes differentiation of preadipocytes by activating adipose-specific gene expression. Recently, PPARgamma activity has been shown to influence the gene expression involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Indeed, pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, ligands for PPARgamma, improve insulin resistance in diabetic patients, and now become one of the most popular anti-diabetic drugs in the developed countries. Moreover, there is accumulating data that PPARgamma ligands exert anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-proliferative effects on vascular wall cells. These observations suggest that PPARgamma agonist may have atheroprotective properties as well through its pleiotropic effects. In this paper, we review the clinical utility of PPARgamma agonist in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.