Natural products and analogs as preventive agents for metabolic syndrome via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors: An overview.

Abstract Natural products and synthetic analogs have drawn much attention as potential therapeutical drugs to treat metabolic syndrome. We reviewed the underlying mechanisms of 32 natural products and analogs with potential pharmacological effects in vitro, and especially in rodent models and/or patients, that usually act on the PPAR pathway, along with other molecular targets. Recent outstanding total syntheses or semisyntheses of these lead compounds are stated. In general, they can activate the transcriptional activity of PPARα, PPARγ, PPARα/γ, PPARβ/δ, PPARα/δ, PPARγ/δ and panPPAR as weak, partial agonists or selective PPARγ modulators (SPPARγM), which may be useful for managing obesity…