title: Protective effect of sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate on injury of small intestine in rats with sepsis and its mechanism.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the protective effect of sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) on small: intestine injury in rats with sepsis and its possible mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  According to a random number table, 24 Tats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham operation group (sham group), sepsis model group (model group) and STS treatment group (STS group), with 8 Tats in each group. A rat model of sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) for 5 h. STS (1 mg/kg) was slowly injected through the right external jugular vein after CLP. The histopathologic changes in the intestine tissue were observed under a light microscope, and the intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleoddyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method. The expressions of Bcl-2, Bax and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) p65 in the intestinal tissue was determined by Western blot. The levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the intestinal tissue were determined using enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obvious injuries were observed in the intestinal tissue in the CLP group compared with the sham group. The expression of NF-κB p65 and the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were up-regulated after CLP, the apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells was increased after CLP, and the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax was decreased. STS post-treatment could attenuate the injury on the intestinal tissue induced by CLP, decrease the apoptosis of intestinal treatment epithelial cells and the levels of NF-κB p65, TNF-α and IL-6, and increase the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  STS can protect the small intestine in rats with sepsis, and the mechanism may be associated with the inhibition of intestinal epithelial apoptosis and the reduction of activation of inflammatory cytokines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Hua-wen
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Dai-xing
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010616:Phenanthrenes / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018805:Sepsis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D010616:Phenanthrenes; D020011:Protective Agents; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C024894:tanshinone II A sodium sulfonate