PPARs as targets for the modulation of cardiovascular risk factors associated with the metabolic syndrome.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists have long been used for the treatment of diabetes and hypercholesterolemia--disorders that give individuals a high predisposition for cardiovascular disease. Prevention of the onset of the latter can begin when a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, a pathology that groups glucose and lipid disturbances, is made. Although the characteristic components of metabolic syndrome (ie, high blood pressure, obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and proinflammatory state) are likely to improve through a radical change in lifestyle, a therapeutic approach is also advisable, and the PPAR agonists are the first in a growing list of drugs that may be effective in the prevention of the development of cardiovascular disease.