Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) can protect against brain damage induced by
stroke. However, the neural protection mechanism of STS remains unclear. We investigated whether STS performs its protective function by suppressing autophagy and inflammatory activity during
brain injury. We established a transient
middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) model by blocking the left middle cerebral artery with a thread inserted through the internal carotid artery for 1 h, followed by reperfusion for 48 h either with or without STS and the autophagy inhibitor
3-methyladenine (3-MA).
Neuroprotective effects were determined by evaluating
infarction, brain edema, and neurological deficits. The numbers of microglia-derived macrophages, monocyte-derived microglia, T cells, and B cells in the brains were measured, based on the surface marker analyses of CD45, CD11b, B220, CD3, and CD4 using fluorescence-assisted cell sorting. STS (10, 20, 40 mg/kg) was able to significantly reduce
infarct volumes, improve neurological deficits, and reduce brain water contents. STS treatment reduced
neuroinflammation, as assessed by the infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils, corresponding with reduced numbers of macrophages, T cells, and B cells in
ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) brains. In addition, STS treatment also attenuated the upregulation of autophagy associated
proteins, such as LC3-II,
Beclin-1 and
Sirt 6, which was induced by MCAO. These results demonstrated that STS can provide remarkable protection against
ischemic stroke, possibly via the inhibition of autophagy and inflammatory activity.