PPARγ activation attenuates oxidative stress and improves cerebral arteries endothelial dysfunction in aging rat through up-regulating UCP2

Abstract

Objectives: Increasing amounts of evidence implicate oxidative stress as having a pivotal role in age-related cerebrovascular dysfunction, which is an important risk factor for the development of cerebrovascular disease. Previous studies have shown that the activation of the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) in vascular endothelial cells results in an improvement of vascular function. Pioglitazone, a well-known PPAR-γ agonist, protects against oxidative stress in the rostral ventrolateral medulla by the upregulation of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2).In this study, we sought to explore the effects and the underlying mechanisms of pioglitazone on age-related oxidative stress elevation and cerebrovascular dysfunction in aging rat cerebral arteries.