Tanshinone IIB, a primary active constituent from Salvia miltiorrhza, exhibits neuro-protective activity in experimentally stroked rats

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 417; no. 3; pp. 261 - 265
• Main Authors: Yu, Xi-Yong, Lin, Shu-Guang, Zhou, Zhi-Wei, Chen, Xiao, Liang, Jun, Duan, Wei, Yu, Xue-Qing, Wen, Jing-Yuan, Chowbay, Balram, Li, Chun-Guang, Sheu, Fwu-Shan, Chan, Eli, Zhou, Shu-Feng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 07.05.2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - pharmacology; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - therapeutic use; Apoptosis - drug effects; Apoptosis - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - drug effects; Brain - pathology; Brain - physiopathology; Brain Infarction - drug therapy; Brain Infarction - pathology; Brain Infarction - physiopathology; Disease Models, Animal; Diterpenes, Abietane; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - pharmacology; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - therapeutic use; Focal infarct; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery - drug therapy; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery - pathology; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery - physiopathology; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Male; Medical sciences; Middle cerebral artery occlusion; Nerve Degeneration - drug therapy; Nerve Degeneration - etiology; Nerve Degeneration - pathology; Neurology; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - pathology; Neuroprotective Agents - pharmacology; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; Phenanthrenes - pharmacology; Phenanthrenes - therapeutic use; Plant Extracts; Rat; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Salvia miltiorrhiza - chemistry; Stroke; Stroke - drug therapy; Stroke - pathology; Stroke - physiopathology; Tanshinone IIB; Treatment Outcome; Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Tanshinone IIB; Stroke; Focal infarct; Rat; Middle cerebral artery occlusion; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Ischemia; Animal; Rodentia; Cardiovascular disease
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2007.02.079

Tanshinone IIB (TSB) is a major active constituent of the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) used in the treatment of acute stroke. Danshen extracts and TSB have shown marked neuron-protective effects in mouse studies but there is a lack of clinical evidence for the neuron-protective effects of Danshen and its active ingredients. This study investigated the neuron-protective effects of TSB in experimentally stroked rats. TSB at 5 and 25 mg/kg by intraperitoneal injection significantly reduced the focal infarct volume, cerebral histological damage and apoptosis in rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) compared to MCAO rats receiving vehicle. This study demonstrated that TSB was effective in reducing stroke-induced brain damage and may represent a novel drug candidate for further development. Further mechanistic studies are needed for the neuron-protective activity of TSB.