Tanshinone I inhibited growth of human chronic myeloid leukemia cells via JNK/ERK mediated apoptotic pathways

Tanshinone I (Tan I) is one of the main bioactive ingredients derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, which has exhibited antitumor activities toward various human cancer cells. However, its effects and underlying mechanisms on human chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells still require further investigation. This study determined the effects and mechanisms of anti-proliferative and apoptosis induction activity induced by Tan I against K562 cells. The cytotoxic effect of Tan I at varying concentrations on K562 cells was evaluated via MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was further investigated through DAPI staining and flow cytometry analysis. The expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins and activities of JNK/ATF2 and ERK signaling pathways were analyzed by western blot. Quantitative PCR was performed to further determine mRNA expression levels of JNK1/2 and ERK1/2 after Tan I treatment. The results indicated that Tan I significantly inhibited K562 cell growth and induced apoptosis in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. It induced significant cellular morphological changes and increased apoptosis rates in CML cells. Tan I promoted the cleavages of caspase-related proteins, as well as increased the expression levels of PUMA. Furthermore, Tan I significantly activated JNK and inhibited ATF-2 and ERK signaling pathways. The mRNA expression levels of JNK1/2 and ERK1/2 were up-regulated by Tan I, further confirming its regulatory effects on JNK/ERK signaling pathways. Overall, our results indicated that Tan I suppressed cell viability via JNK- and ERK-mediated apoptotic pathways in K562 cells, suggesting that it might be a promising candidate as a novel anti-leukemia drug.