title: Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate protects cardiomyocytes against oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis through inhibiting JNK activation.
abstract: Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) is a water-soluble derivative of tanshinone IIA, a well-known Chinese medicine for treating cardiovascular disorders. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis plays a major role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of STS on cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by in vivo acute myocardial infarction (MI) in adult rats and by in vitro H2O2-treated neonatal rat ventricular myocytes. In MI rats, STS significantly reduced the infarct sizes, the blood lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, and the number of apoptotic cardiomyocytes in the infarcted hearts. In the in vitro study, STS reversed the decreased effect of cell viability induced by H2O2. In addition, STS also markedly inhibited H2O2-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. C-Jun N-terminal kinases/stress-activated protein kinases (JNKs/SAPKs) and p38 MAPK are classic oxidative stress-activated protein kinases. Our further mechanistic study revealed that increased JNK phosphorylation stimulated by H2O2 was abolished by STS treatment. In conclusion, inhibition of JNK activation plays a significant role in cardioprotective effects of STS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Ruifang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Aijun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiujuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dingfeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Jianguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000473:pathology; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010616:Phenanthrenes; C024894:tanshinone II A sodium sulfonate; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases