Bioactive Compounds as PPARs Ligands: Potential Health Effects

Abstract

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are transcription factors whose isoforms (α, β/δ, and γ) have key and complementary roles in relation to energy metabolism, glucose and lipid homeostasis, regulation of insulin sensitivity, adipogenesis, and inflammatory processes. PPARs constitute therapeutic targets against metabolic syndrome (MS) and chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCDs), important public health challenges. Unfortunately, synthetic ligands of PPARs have been associated with side effects, such as cardiac deficiency, weight gain, edema, hepatotoxicity, among others. Therefore, it is necessary to identify bioactive compounds present in foods that act as PPARs agonists (ligands), regulating gene expression of their different isoforms that contribute to diminishing MS and CNCDs risk, without side effects. The objective of this chapter is to describe the interaction of different bioactive compounds with one or more isoforms of PPARs, and their consequent potential health effects.