Division of Applied Bioscience, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita-9, Nishi-9, Sapporo, Japan. m-ub@for.agr.hokudai.ac.jp
Abstract:
Mycophenolic acid (MPA), known as an inhibitor of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH), was found to inhibit the differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes into mature adipocytes. Although the effect of MPA was attributed to inhibition of IMPDH, we uncovered a hidden biological property of MPA as an agonist of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma).