Tanshinone IIA is a
diterpene extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza, a popular and safe herb medicine that has been widely used in China and other Asian countries. Previous studies have demonstrated the pleiotropic effects of
Tanshinone IIA on many disease treatments via its antitoxicity, anti-
inflammation, anti-oxidative stress, as well as antifibrosis activities. However, its effect on
acute kidney injury (AKI) has not been fully investigated. Here, we show for the first time that systemic administration of
Tanshinone IIA can lead to improved kidney function in
folic acid-induced kidney injury mice. In the acute phase of AKI,
Tanshinone IIA attenuated renal tubular epithelial injury, as determined by histologic changes and the detection of
Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in the kidney and urine. Additionally,
Tanshinone IIA treatment resulted in elevated
proliferating cell nuclear antigen (
PCNA) expression and decreased inflammatory cells infiltration as well as
chemokine expression, suggesting that
Tanshinone IIA promoted renal repair following AKI and inhibited local inflammatory response in the injured kidney. This led to decreased long-term
fibrosis in the injured kidney, characterized by less accumulation of
fibronectin and
collagen I in tubulointerstitium. Taken together, these results suggest that
Tanshinone IIA may represent a potential approach for AKI treatment.