ABSTRACT Fibrates, a well-known class of lipid-lowering drugs, have been shown to induce myopathy through different mechanisms among which one of the most important is the influence on the chloride conductance of the skeletal muscle fibers. Electrophysiological studies, in fact, showed a concentration-dependent inhibition of the chloride ion flux of the muscle membrane which, for some chiral analogs, is strictly dependent on the absolute configuration. In recent years, however, fibrates have gained new interest due to the discovery of their ability to act as ligands for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), trascription factors involved in control of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, and to the ensuing possible use for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
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