Effect of sodium tanshinone II A sulfonate on cardiac myocyte hypertrophy and its underlying mechanism

Objective: To investigate the effects of sodium tanshinone II A sulfonate (STS) oil the hypertrophy induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) in primary cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. Methods: The effect of STS on cytotoxicity was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-3,5-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) assay. As indexes for cardiocyte hypertrophy, cell size was determined by phase contrast microscopy and protein synthesis rate was measured by H-3-leucine incorporation. The proto-oncogene c-fos mRNA expression of cardiocytes was assessed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: STS could inhibit cardiocyte hypertrophy, increase the protein synthesis rate and enhance proto-oncogene c-fos mRNA expression in cardiocytes induced by Ang II (P<0.01), with an effect similar to that of Valsartan, the Ang II receptor antagonist. Conclusion: STS can prevent the hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes induced by Ang II, which may be related to its inhibition of the expression of proto-oncogene c-fos mRNA.