Effects of Tanshinone IIA on expressions of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 following cerebral ischemic reperfusion injury in rats

Objective:To study the effects of Tanshinone ⅡA(Tan ⅡA) on expressions of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 of cerebral ischemia reperfusion(I/R) injury in rats.Method: Rats were randomly divided into four groups, which were sham operated group(SG), I/R group, low dose Tan ⅡA treated group(LG) and high dose Tan ⅡA treated group(HG). The focal middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) model was made in rats with suture-occluded method except SG group. LG and HG groups were pretreated with low and high does Tan ⅡA, for 3d, before MCAO. After 90min MCAO following 24h reperfusion, expressions of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 in cerebral cortex were investigated with immunohistochemistry technique. Result: Compared with SG group, in I/R group expressions of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 elevated at 24h reperfusion in ischemic region(P0.05). Compared with I/R group, in LG and HG groups expression of Bcl-2 elevated dose-dependently and expressions of caspase-3 reduced dose-dependently(P0.05). Compared with I/R group, in LG and HG groups cerebral infarction volumes decreased dose-dependently(P0.05). In LG and HG groups changes of cerebral ischemic impairment were lighter than that in I/R group, and in HG group the changes were lighter than that in LG group. Conclusion:Tan ⅡA may reduced cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by elevating the expressions of Bcl-2 and reducing the expression of caspase-3. It plays protective effect on cerebral ischemia injury.