Emerging roles of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in the pituitary gland in female reproduction

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated nuclear receptors that mediate numerous crucial physiological processes, including glucose and lipid metabolism, energy homeostasis, inflammation, cell proliferation, and differentiation. Therefore, targeting of PPARs for metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, polycystic ovary syndrome, and cancer therapies is intensive. Over the last decade, studies on PPARs have shed light on their functional roles in the female reproductive system, including the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonad axis, placental development, and maternal-infant interactions. In this review we summarize PPAR genomic organization, molecular functions, and expression patterns, as well as insights from knockout mice and PPAR involvement in biological processes, with a focus on their novel role in the pituitary gland in female reproduction.