Anti-inflammatory Effect of Salvia Miltiorrhiza is Mediated via IL-6, JAK, and STAT Pathway in a Dysfunctional Vascular Endothelial Cell

Abstract

The vascular complication of diabetes mellitus is a problem for the patient, and the ability to cope with the disease and the associated inflammation is a critical aspect of diabetes. Cytokines-induced inflammation in vascular endothelial cells (VECs) plays an active role in chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, kidney injury, and stroke. We investigated the role of total salvianolic acids (TSA), total tanshinones (TTSN), and their combination (TSA/TTSN) on the activated vascular endothelial cell and its inhibitory effect on signal transduction and cytokines regulation. In the extracellular medium of the injury model of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) induced by thrombin, the human IL-6, VCAM-1, and ICAM-1 were significantly elevated (p ˂ 0.05). However, suppression in the TSA, TTSN, and TSA/TTSN (100 µg/L)-treated groups (p > 0.05) were notable. TSA alone but not TTSN and TSA/TTSN combination, inhibited the expression of P-selectin (p < 0.05) and E-selectin (p < 0.01) respectively, in VECs. Western blot analysis showed JAK and STAT expression in VECs however, the protein expression was modest in the Salvia miltiorrhiza-treated groups, indicating the potential of TSA/TTSN in the inflammatory pathways of IL-6, JAK, and STAT signal transduction in endothelial cells (ECs). This study has made novel observations regarding the components of Salvia miltiorrhiza regulatory effect on cytokines in Vascular Biology. Keywords: Atherosclerosis; Cytokines; Diabetes mellitus; HUVECs; Inflammation; Salvia militiorrhiza.