Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate protects rat myocardium against ischemia-reperfusion injury via activation of PI3K/Akt/FOXO3A/Bim pathway.

Aim: To investigate the mechanisms underlying the protective effects of sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) in an ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced rat myocardial injury model.

Methods: Male SD rats were iv injected with STS, STS+LY294002 or saline (NS) for 15 d. Then the hearts were subjected to 30 min of global ischemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion.