Role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ in ocular diseases

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (ppar γ),a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily,is a ligand-activated transcription factor that plays an important role in the control of a variety of physiological processes. the last decade has witnessed an increasing interest for the role played by the agonists of ppar γ in antiangiogenesis,antifibrosis,anti-inflammation effects and in controlling oxidative stress response in various organs. as the pathologic mechanisms of major blinding diseases,such as age-related macular degeneration (amd),diabetic retinopathy (dr),keratitis,and optic neuropathy,often involve neoangiogenesis and inflammation- and oxidative stress-mediated cell death,evidences are accumulating on the potential benefits of ppar γ to improve or prevent these vision threatening eye diseases. in this paper we describe what is known about the role of ppar γ in the ocular pathophysiological processes and ppar γ agonists as novel adjuvants in the treatment of eye diseases. © 2015 su zhang et al.