Rosiglitazone maleate (BRL 49653), a member of the thiazolidinedione class of antihyperglycaemic agents, is a high-affinity selective agonist of theperoxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ)with IC50 of 42 nM. Rosiglitazone maleate also modulat In vitro
Rosiglitazone is an insulin-sensitising agent of the thiazolidinedione class of oral antihyperglycaemic drugs. Rosiglitazone exhibits insulin-sensitising activity 60- to 200-fold higher than that of troglitazone, englitazone, or piogliazone in rodent models of insulin ressitance. Rosiglitazone reduces hyperglycaemia by improving insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue, the liver and skeletal muscle tissue. Such insulin sensitisation may be partly attributable to the effects of Rosiglitazone on the expression of molecules involved in the insulin signalling cascade. In adipose tissue, Rosiglitazone-mediated PPARγ stimulation promotes adipocyte differentiation. Rosiglitazone may also promote the uptake of free fatty acids in adipose tissue, thus reducing systemic free fatty acid levels. The insulin sensitivity of the liver and peripheral tissues may be modulated indirectly by Rosiglitazone-mediated changes in levels of fatty acid or adipocyte-derived factors, such as adiponectin and TNFα. Rosiglitazone may also be involved in modulating the expression of adiponectin receptors in some tissues, which may be relevant to some aspects of insulin sensitisation.
