Cryptotanshinone inhibits hypoxia/reoxygenation‐induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells

Abstract Cryptotanshinone (CTS), an active component extracted from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge , was reported to attenuate hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, its protective effect against renal I/R injury remains unclear. In this study, the role of CTS in renal I/R injury in vitro and its possible mechanism were investigated. Our results showed that CTS improved cell viability in HK‐2 cells exposed to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). CTS also inhibited the H/R‐mediated production of reactive oxygen species, as well as increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in H/R‐stimulated HK‐2 cells. In addition, CTS dramatically attenuated the induction of bax expression and caspase‐3 activity and alleviated the reduction of bcl‐2 expression in HK‐2 cells cultured with H/R. Furthermore, CTS activated the levels of p‐PI3K and p‐Akt in H/R‐injured HK‐2 cells; meanwhile, the renal protective activity of CTS was inhibited by the inhibitor of the (phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B) PI3K/Akt pathway (LY294002). These findings indicate that CTS can ameliorate renal I/R injury in vitro partly through regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway.