Wakayama Symposium: Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-Gamma (PPARγ) and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Recently we have shown that mouse and human meibomian glands undergo specific age-related changes, including decreased acinar cell proliferation, acinar atrophy, and altered peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) localization from cytoplasmic-vesicular/nuclear in young mice and humans to nuclear in old mice and humans. Since PPARγ is a lipid-sensitive, nuclear receptor implicated in regulating adipocyte and sebocyte differentiation and lipogenesis, our findings suggest that PPARγ may be involved in modulating meibomian gland differentiation during aging. Based on these findings, we propose that aging of the meibomian gland results in downregulation of PPARγ, leading to decreased meibocyte differentiation and lipid synthesis, gland atrophy, and a hyposecretory meibomian gland dysfunction.