[Effects of Tanshinone IIa on cytokines and platelets in immune vasculitis and its mechanism].

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Tanshinone IIa on IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha cytokines in immune vasculitis and platelets, as well as their relationship. The model of immune vasculitis of rabbits were established by intravenous injection of bovine serum albumin twice. Experiment was divided into 4 groups: control group, model group, tanshinone IIa-treated group and aspirin-treated group. The platelet count, platelet aggregation of peripheral blood were determined. The levels of serum IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha were detected by ELISA. The pathological changes of immune vasculitis were analyzed by hematoxylin & eosin staining, elastic fibers staining and electron microscopy. The results showed that the levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in model group were significantly higher than those in normal group (p < 0.05), while the level of IL-6 was not significantly different between various groups. The serum level of IL-1beta was correlated with platelet number, while serum levels IL-1beta and TNF-alpha were both correlated with the platelet aggregation. The treatment with tanshinone IIa could significantly decrease the serum levels of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and platelet number, and the efficacy of tanshinone IIa was same as aspirin. The tanshinone IIa and aspirin both could alleviate the vessels damage in patients with immune vasculitis. It is concluded that the tanshinone IIa may diminish the inflammation damage of vessels in patients with immune vasculitis through the inhibition of cytokines and platelets.