REVIEW article
Front. Allergy
Sec. Skin Allergy
PPARγ: A Key Orchestrator of Epidermal Barrier, Immune Responses, and Lipid Metabolism in Atopic Dermatitis Pathogenesis and Therapy
Yuting Bao
Kexin XU
Yue Du
Meng Feng
Li Li
Li Liang Chang
Guanghai Yan
Xiaowan Li
Yanbian University, Yanji, China
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Abstract
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an immune-mediated inflammatory dermatosis characterized by epidermal barrier dysfunction, immune dysregulation, and cutaneous microbial dysbiosis. Existing therapeutic modalities for AD are limited in efficacy and durability, highlighting an unmet clinical need for novel, safe, and effective treatment strategies. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), a pivotal nuclear receptor involved in metabolic and inflammatory regulation, has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for AD. Its pleiotropic mechanisms encompass the restoration of stratum corneum integrity,modulation of aberrant immunoinflammatory signaling, normalization of cutaneous lipid metabolism, and regulation of the cutaneous microbiome and neuroimmune circuitry. This review comprehensively synthesizes the mechanistic evidence linking PPARγ to AD pathogenesis and critically appraises its potential as a novel therapeutic.
Summary
Keywords
agonists, atopic dermatitis, PPARγ, Skin barrier function, targetedtherapy
Received
05 January 2026
Accepted
19 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Bao, XU, Du, Feng, Li, Chang, Yan and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Guanghai Yan; Xiaowan Li
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.