Activation and Expression of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Alpha Are Associated with Tumorigenesis in Colorectal Carcinoma

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) belongs to the PPAR family and plays a critical role in inhibiting cell proliferation and tumorigenesis in various tumors. However, the role of PPAR-α in colorectal tumorigenesis is unclear. In the present study, we found that fenofibrate, a PPAR-α agonist, significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in colorectal carcinoma cells. In addition, PPAR-α was expressed in the nucleus of colorectal carcinoma cells, and the expression of nuclear PPAR-α increased in colorectal carcinoma tissue compared with that of normal epithelium tissue (P<0.01). The correlation between the expression of nuclear PPAR-α and clinicopathological factors was evaluated in human colorectal carcinoma tissues, and the nuclear expression of PPAR-α was significantly higher in well-to-moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma than in mucinous adenocarcinoma (P<0.05). These findings indicate that activation of PPAR-α may be involved in anticancer effects in colorectal carcinomas, and nuclear expression of PPAR-α may be a therapeutic target for colorectal adenocarcinoma treatment.