Objective: To investigate the effect of Tanshinone II A on K562 cell-line and its possible mechanism.
Methods: Cell culture, cytomorphology and cytometrics were used.
Results: The proliferative inhibition of K562 cells induced by Tanshinone II A was dose-independent, and the degrees of erythroid differentiation induced by 30 nmol/L ACM and 0.5 microgram/ml Tanshinone II A were not statistically different (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Tanshinone II A has an inhibitive effect on the proliferation of K562 cells and an inductive effect on the differentiation of erythrocyte series. The mechanisms may be related to the changes of cell cycle and gene expressions.