In this study, compound FTBI (3-(2-furyl)-10-(2-phenylethyl) [1,2,4]triazino [4,3-a]benzimidazol-4(10H)one) was selected from a small library of triazinobenzimidazole derivatives as a potent A 2A adenosine receptor (AR) antagonist and tested for its neuroprotective effects against two different kinds of dopaminergic neurotoxins, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) and methamphetamine (METH), in rat PC12 and in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell lines. FTBI, in a concentration range corresponding to its affinity for A 2A AR subtype, significantly increased the number of viable PC12 cells after their exposure to METH and, to a similar extent, to MPP+, as demonstrated in both trypan blue exclusion assay and in cytological staining. These neuroprotective effects were also observed with a classical A 2A AR antagonist, ZM241385, and appeared to be completely counteracted by the AR agonist, NECA, supporting A 2A ARs are directly involved in FTBI-mediated effects. Similarly, in human SH-SY5Y cells, FTBI was able to prevent cell toxicity induced by MPP+ and METH, showing that this A 2A AR antagonist has a neuroprotective effect independently by the specific cell model. Altogether these results demonstrate that the A 2A AR blockade mediates cell protection against neurotoxicity induced by dopaminergic neurotoxins in dopamine containing cells, supporting the potential use of A 2A AR antagonists in dopaminergic degenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease.