International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review The Opportunities and Challenges of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors Ligands in Clinical Drug Discovery and Development Fan Hong 1,2, Pengfei Xu 1,*,† and Yonggong Zhai 1,2,* 1 Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resource and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China;
[email protected] 2 Key Laboratory for Cell Proliferation and Regulation Biology of State Education Ministry, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China * Correspondence:
[email protected] (P.X.);
[email protected] (Y.Z.); Tel.: +86-156-005-60991 (P.X.); +86-10-5880-6656 (Y.Z.) † Current address: Center for Pharmacogenetics and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. Received: 22 June 2018; Accepted: 24 July 2018; Published: 27 July 2018 Abstract: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are a well-known pharmacological target for the treatment of multiple diseases, including diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular diseases and even primary biliary cholangitis, gout, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The three PPAR isoforms (α, β/δ and γ) have emerged as integrators of glucose and lipid metabolic signaling networks. Typically, PPARα is activated by fibrates, which are commonly used therapeutic agents in the treatment of dyslipidemia. The pharmacological activators of PPARγ include thiazolidinediones (TZDs), which are insulin sensitizers used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), despite some drawbacks. In this review, we summarize 84 types of PPAR synthetic ligands introduced to date for the treatment of metabolic and other diseases and provide a comprehensive analysis of the current applications and problems of these ligands in clinical drug discovery and development.