Inhibiting the ROCK Pathway Ameliorates Acute Lung Injury in Mice following Myocardial Ischemia/reperfusion.

To clarify the role of Y-27632, a selective inhibitor of Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase (ROCK), in acute lung injury (ALI) induced by myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Mice were randomized into Sham, I/R, and Y-27632 (10, 20 or 30 mg/kg) + I/R groups, and hemodynamics, infarcted area, the protein concentration, neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels were assessed. Pathological changes were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining; protein and gene expression were measured by Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR); and apoptosis was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining.

Tanshinone IIA induces cytochrome c-mediated caspase cascade apoptosis in A549 human lung cancer cells via the JNK pathway.

Tanshinone IIA (TSIIA), a natural diterpene quinone in the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Dan-Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), has extensively exerted antitumor activity in cellular and animal models. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumor effects of TSIIA remain largely unknown. The in vitro effects of TSIIA on apoptosis were investigated in A549 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.