PPAR Alpha Regulation of the Immune Response and Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

PPARs are members of the steroid hormone nuclear receptor superfamily and play an important role in the regulation of lipid metabolism, energy balance, artherosclerosis and glucose control. Recent studies suggest that they play an important role in regulating inflammation. This review will focus on PPAR-alpha regulation of the immune response. We describe how PPAR-alpha regulates differentiation of T cells by transactivation and/or interaction with other transcription factors. Moreover, PPAR-alpha agonists have been shown to ameliorate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice, suggesting that they could provide a therapy for human autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.