Troglitazone inhibits both post-glutamate neurotoxicity and low-potassium-induced apoptosis in cerebellar granule neurons.

Both excitotoxicity and apoptosis contribute to neuronal loss in various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease as well as stroke, and a drug inhibiting both types of cell death may lead to practical treatment for these diseases. Post-treatment with troglitazone, a potent and specific activator of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma attenuated the cell death of cerebellar granule neurons, triggered by glutamate exposure. The inhibitory effect of troglitazone against glutamate excitotoxicity, in vitro, was observed even when added 2.5 h after the end of glutamate exposure, a time when glutamate antagonists are no longer neuroprotective. However, troglitazone did not block the glutamate-induced elevation of calcium influx, suggesting that troglitazone interfered with downstream consequences of excitotoxic glutamate receptor overactivation. In addition, troglitazone also suppressed low-potassium-induced apoptosis in cerebellar granule neurons in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase independent manner. In conclusion, although the mechanisms of troglitazone's neuroprotective effects are unknown, the post-treatment-neuroprotective effect and the dual-inhibitory-activity against both excitotoxicity and apoptosis may provide a novel therapy for various neurodegenerative diseases.