TROGLITAZONE - A NOVEL ANTIDIABETIC DRUG FOR TREATING INSULIN-RESISTANCE

Troglitazone was discovered by Sankyo Co. Ltd, in 1982. It represents a new class of antidiabetic agents targeted at ameliorating insulin re sistance in type 2 diabetes patients. It is unrelated both chemically and functionally to the sulfonylurea and biguanide classes of oral ant idiabetic agents. Troglitazone was found to reverse insulin resistance by its ability to increase insulin-stimulated glucose utilization and reduce hepatic glucose production. It has also been suggested that tr oglitazone exerts its insulin-enhancing effects by interacting with pe roxisome proliferation activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) regulated gene transcription.