Sodium Tanshinone II-A Sulfonate Inhibits Human Renal Interstitial Fibroblast Proliferation by Attenuating Cyclin D1 Expression In Vitro

The objective was to study the effect of sodium tanshinone II-A sulfonate on the proliferation of human renal interstitial fibroblasts (IiRIFs) and the expression of cyclin D1 in vitro. The tissue was taken from human renal interstitial sample of patient who suffered from chronic unilateral ureteral obstruction(UUO) and cells were cultured for 5 passages in vitro; the cells of 2nd similar to 5th passage were used to observe morphology by inverted phase contrast microscope and identify by immunocylochemistry (ICC). After hRIFs were cultured and identified, MTT was used to detect the cells at passage 3-4 in presence or absence of tanshinone II-A sulfonate at different concentrations. The expression of cyclinD1 was analyzed by ICC and the image obtained by analytical technique. The cells of 2nd similar to 5th passage cultured in vitro were shuttleshapped and owned one or two chromatospherites. The cells of 3rd similar to 5th passages did not express keratin and desmin but vimentin; there was diploid karyotype in the cells of 2nd similar to 5th passages. With the increase of the drug concentration and prolongation of action time, the inhibitory ratio was increased in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The expression of cyclin D1 was stronger in drug groups than that in control group on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th day (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). In conclusion, sodium tanshinone II-A sulfonate significantly inhibited the proliferation of the hRIFs in vitro, which may be one of mechanisms to suppress renal interstitial fibrosis. The mechanism of the inhibition might be due to that sodium lanshinone H-A sulfonate inhibited the expression of cyclin D1, which blocked the GUS point and extents the cell cycle.