Design, synthesis, and evaluation of substituted phenylpropanoic acid derivatives as human peroxisome proliferator activated receptor activators. Discovery of potent and human peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α subtype-selective activators

Substituted phenylpropanoic acid derivatives were prepared as part of a search for subtype-selective human peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα) activators. Structure-activity relationship studies indicated that the nature and the stereochemistry of the substituent at the α-position of the head part containing the carboxyl group, the distance between the carboxyl group and the central benzene ring, the linking group between the central benzene ring and the distal benzene ring, and the substituent at the distal hydrophobic tail part of the molecule all play key roles in determining the potency and selectivity of PPAR subtype transactivation. This study has led to the identification of potent and human PPARα selective optically active α-alkylphenylpropanoic acid derivatives, which will be useful not only as pharmacological tools to investigate the physiology and pathophysiology of PPARα but also as candidate drugs for the treatment of altered metabolic homeostasis, such as dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes.