Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma induces apoptosis on acute promyelocytic leukemia cells via downregulation of XIAP.

In the present study we investigated the in vitro apoptosis inducing effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) ligand ciglitazone (CGZ) on acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) NB4 cells and its mechanisms of action. The results revealed that CGZ (10-50 micromol/l) inhibited the growth of leukemia NB4 cells and caused apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Apoptosis was observed clearly by flow cytometry (FCM) and DNA fragmentation analysis.