Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, a nuclear receptor and transcription factor, and its natural and synthetic ligands have become a focus of novel approaches to induction of apoptosis in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, including malignant B-lineage cells. The effect on mantle cell lymphoma, a subtype with dismal prognosis, has not yet been analyzed. We investigated the effect of 15-deoxy-delta-12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2), pioglitazone (PGZ) or rosiglitazone (RGZ) on human mantle cell lymphoma cell lines (GRANTA-519, Hbl-2 and JeKo-1). Mantle cell lymphoma cell lines exhibited a high expression of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma protein in Western blot analysis. MTT assays revealed anti-proliferative effects induced by both 15d-PGJ2, the natural activator of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, and PGZ and RGZ, synthetic Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma ligands, in a dose-dependent manner. At a dose of 50 micromol/l, 15d-PGJ2 induced growth inhibition in all cell lines. The anti-proliferative effect of PGZ and RGZ was slightly lower. Induction of apoptosis was indicated by annexin V staining. At a dose of 50 micromol/l, 15d-PGJ2 led to apoptosis in all cell lines (87-99%) after 48 h of incubation. Again, the apoptotic effect with thiazolidinediones was slightly lower at the same dose level. This is the first study evaluating Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma expression and its therapeutic implications in human mantle cell lymphoma cells. Thiazolidinediones comprise anti-lymphoma activity in vitro and should be further explored for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma.