Although the mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer effects of PPARγ agonists remain elusive, many PPARγ ligands are used as therapeutic agents against NSCLC.39 PPARγ is widely expressed in various tumours, and synthetic PPARγ ligands have been shown to cause growth inhibition and apoptosis in NSCLC cells.40 The functions of PPARγ are well known in adipogenesis and insulin sensitivity, and PPARγ ligands can induce adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells, but ligands for PPARα and β cannot.41 We found that CB11 can cause adipocyte differentiation, which means CB11 is a PPARγ ligand. This evidence concerns the gene PPARA and cancer.