Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of tanshinone IIA on rat peritoneal mesothelial cells (RPMCs) treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).RPMCs were co-treated with different concentrations of tanshinone IIA (40,80 and 160 μmol/L) and LPS (5 mg/L) for 24 h.The levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α in cell culture supernatant were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were quantified by flow cytometry.The intracellular malondialdehyde (MDA) level and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured by commercial reagent kits.Relative levels of fibronectin (FN),collagen-I (COL-I),Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA were quantified by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.The results showed that tanshinone IIA significantly decreased IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α and ROS,MDA levels in dose-dependent manners.At the same time,the levels of FN,collagen I,Bax mRNA were also significantly decreased by tanshinone IIA.However,SOD levels and Bcl-2 mRNA expressions were significantly increased by tanshinone IIA.In conclusion,tanshinone IIA can inhibit LPS-induced inflammation,oxidative stress in peritoneal mesothelial cells,thus protect peritoneal membrane.

Key words: tanshinone IIA, LPS, oxidative stress, RPMCs