BACKGROUND Molecular mechanism of differentiation in lipogenic tumor is still unknown in detail. Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma), representative regulatory molecules of lipogenic differentiation, have been reported today as multi-functional molecules and to modulate tumorigenesis in various kind of cancer. ...

Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by alterations in fibroblast phenotypes resulting in excessive extracellular matrix accumulation and anatomic remodeling. Current therapies for this condition are largely ineffective. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, the activation of which produces a number of biological ef...

BACKGROUND Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) and hyperglycemia cause diabetic cardiomyopathy by inducing oxidative stress and attenuating peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor (PPAR) gamma. However, their synergistic contribution is not clear. METHODS Diabetic Akita (Ins2+/-) and hyperhomocysteinemic cystathionine beta synthase mutant (CBS+/-) were used for M-mode echocardiography at the age ...

In recent years, the study of the peroxisome proliferators activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma) as a potential target for cancer prevention and therapy has gained a strong interest. However, the overall biological significance of PPAR-gamma in cancer development and progression is still controversial. While many reports documented antiproliferative effects in human cancer cell and animal model...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a multiorgan systemic disease. The systemic features are skeletal muscle weakness and cachexia, the latter being associated with systemic inflammation. The exact mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD remain obscure. Recent evidence suggests involvement of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) and PPAR-gamma co...

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors belong to the superfamily of ligand-dependent nuclear receptor transcription factors, which include three subtypes: PPAR-alpha, beta/delta, and gamma. PPAR-delta, play important roles in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation as well as tissue wound and repair. Emerging evidence has also demonstrated that PPAR-delta is implicated in lipids ...

The 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2) (15d-PGJ(2)) is an endogenous ligand of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors gamma (PPAR-gamma) and is now recognized as a potent anti-inflammatory mediator. However, information regarding the influence of 15d-PGJ(2) on inflammatory pain is still unknown. In this study, we evaluated the effect of 15d-PGJ(2) upon inflammatory hypernociception a...

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) are nuclear receptors that regulate gene expression in response to ligand binding. Three PPAR receptor subtypes, namely gamma, alpha and delta (beta), have been identified. The development of PPAR agonist pharmaceuticals for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity is currently an area of great interest. The FDA has recei...

BACKGROUND Selaginellaceae is a family of nonseed plants with special evolutionary significance. Plants of the family Selaginellaceae are similarly shaped and easily confused, complicating identification via traditional methods. This study explored, for the first time, the use of the DNA barcode ITS2 to identify medicinal plants of the Selaginellaceae family. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In...

Apolipoprotein M (apoM) is a novel apolipoprotein present mostly in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in human plasma. In the present study, we demonstrate that insulin, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and IGF-I potential peptide (IGF-IPP) significantly inhibits apoM expression, in a dose- and a time-dependent manner, in the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2 cells. Insulin-induced down-regulat...