Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026

Modified In Vivo Matrix Gel Plug Assay for Angiogenesis Studies
Published on: June 30, 2023
PPARs and angiogenesis
1William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK. d.bishop-bailey@qmul.ac.uk
Abstract:
The PPAR (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor) family consists of three ligand-activated nuclear receptors: PPARα, PPARβ/δ and PPARγ. These PPARs have important roles in the regulation of glucose and fatty acid metabolism, cell differentiation and immune function, but were also found to be expressed in endothelial cells in the late 1990s. The early endothelial focus of PPARs was PPARγ, the molecular target for the insulin-sensitizing thiazolidinedione/glitazone class of drugs. Activation of PPARγ was shown to inhibit angiogenesis in vitro and in models of retinopathy and cancer, whereas more recent data point to a critical role in the development of the vasculature in the placenta. Similarly, PPARα, the molecular target for the fibrate class of drugs, also has anti-angiogenic properties in experimental models. In contrast, unlike PPARα or PPARγ, activation of PPARβ/δ induces angiogenesis, in vitro and in vivo, and has been suggested to be a critical component of the angiogenic switch in pancreatic cancer. Moreover, PPARβ/δ is an exercise mimetic and appears to contribute to the angiogenic remodelling of cardiac and skeletal muscle induced by exercise. This evidence and the emerging mechanisms by which PPARs act in endothelial cells are discussed in more detail.
More Related Videos
09:16Investigating Angiogenesis on a Functional and Molecular Level by Leveraging the Scratch Wound Migration Assay and the Spheroid Sprouting Assay
Published on: May 31, 2024
09:03Monitoring Functionality and Morphology of Vasculature Recruited by Factors Secreted by Fast-growing Tumor-generating Cells
Published on: November 23, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
Mechanism of Angiogenesis
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors
Major types that are helpful drug targets include: