Résumé
Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), and particularly of PPAR alpha and PPAR gamma, using selective agonists, is currently used in the treatment of metabolic diseases such as hypertriglyceridemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus. PPAR alpha and PPAR gamma anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative and antiangiogenic properties in cardiovascular cells were extensively clarified in a variety of in vitro and in vivo models. In contrast, the role of PPAR delta in cardiovascular system is poorly understood. Prostacyclin, the predominant prostanoid released by vascular cells, is a putative endogenous agonist for PPAR delta, but only recently PPAR delta selective synthetic agonists were found, improving studies about the physiological and pathophysiological roles of PPAR delta activation. Recent reports suggest that the PPAR delta activation may play a pivotal role to regulate inflammation, apoptosis, and cell proliferation, suggesting that this transcriptional factor could become an interesting pharmacological target to regulate cardiovascular cell apoptosis, proliferation, inflammation, and metabolism. Copyright (C) 2009 Angela Tesse et al. 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.