PPAR Research
Volume 2008 (2008), Article ID 627463, 9 pages
doi:10.1155/2008/627463
Review Article

PPAR-γ: Therapeutic Potential for Multiple Sclerosis

Paul D. Drew,1 Jihong Xu,1 and Michael K. Racke2

1Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Biomedical Research Building II, Room 563-2, 4301 W. Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
2Department of Neurology, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

Received 7 April 2008; Accepted 2 June 2008

Academic Editor: Saleh Ibrahim

Copyright © 2008 Paul D. Drew 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.

Abstract

The role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in altering lipid and glucose metabolism is well established. More recent studies indicate that PPARs also play critical roles in controlling immune responses. We and others have previously demonstrated that PPAR-γ agonists modulate the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). This review will discuss the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which these agonists are believed to modulate disease. The therapeutic potential of PPAR-γ agonists in the treatment of multiple sclerosis will also be considered.