The PPAR genes, cardiovascular disease and the emergence of PPAR pharmacogenetics

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) comprise a group of related transcription factors that serve to regulate a number of cellular processes that are central to cardiovascular health and disease. Two large bodies of work strongly implicate the PPARs as key factors in normal cardiovascular physiology and in cardiovascular pathophysiology: i) studies demonstrating associations between PPAR and abnormal cardiovascular phenotypes; and pharmacological studies assessing the effects of specific PPAR agonists in clinical trials. With the abundance of data available from these studies as a background, PPAR pharmacogenetics has become a promising and rapidly-advancing field. This review summarises the current state of understanding of PPAR pharmacogenetics and its profound implications for the individualisation of therapy for patients with a diverse group of cardiovascular diseases.