Objective:To investigate the effects of troglitazone on cell proliferation and expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) induced by tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in human mesangial cells.Methods:Human mesangial cells were cultured in RPMI-1640 media containing TNF-α with or without troglitazone.Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT;the mRNA and protein expression of ICAM-1 were measured by RT-PCR and ELISA;the protein expression of NF-κB was measured by immunohistochemistry.Results:Troglitazone inhibited the proliferation of mesangial cell.The mRNA and protein expression of ICAM-1 of the cell induced by TNF-α increased significantly(P<0.05).Troglitazone inhibited the expression compared with TNF-α group(P<0.05).In addition

TNF-α induced up-regulation of NF-κB protein was remarkably reduced by troglitazone(P<0.05).Conclusion:Troglitazone can inhibit TNF-α induced proliferation of mesangial cell and decrease the expression of ICAM-1 protein and mRNA through inhibiting NF-κB activity.