**5.2 PPARγ signaling**

PPARs are ligand activated transcription factors, which includes polyunsaturated FAs, eicosanoids, prostaglandins, docosahexaenoic acid, thiozolidinediones, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. A recent study by Jiang et al., showed that conditional prostatic epithelial knockout of PPARγ resulted in the inflammation and focal hyperplasia which developed into prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (Jiang et al.). Increased expression of PPARγ and overall enlargement of the prostate was observed in the rats kept on diet rich in saturated fat (Escobar et al., 2009). We also observed increased cell proliferation and prostatic enlargement in rodents kept on high-fat diet (Vikram et al., 2010b; 2011a; Vikram et al., 2010c). Moreover, pioglitazone (a PPARγ agonist) treatment restored prostate size in these rats (Vikram et al., 2010b; Vikram et al., 2010c). A recent study indicating the dominant uptake of FAs (as compared to glucose) by the malignant as well as non-malignant prostatic cells (Liu et al., 2010) underlines the possible role of PPARγ in the prostatic growth and development. These findings suggest that PPARγ represents a potential link between dietary fat and prostatic growth. However, further studies are needed to characterize its role in the normal and pathological growth of the prostate.
