Sodium tanshinone IIA silate increases melanin synthesis by activating the MAPK and PKA pathways and protects melanocytes from H2O2-induced oxidative stress

Hui Zhong; Xiaohong An; Yu Li; Minxuan Cai; Owais Ahmad; Jing Shang; Jia Zhou

doi:10.1039/c8ra09786k

Sodium tanshinone IIA silate increases melanin synthesis by activating the MAPK and PKA pathways and protects melanocytes from H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress

RSC Adv. 2019 Jun 14;9(33):18747-18757. doi: 10.1039/c8ra09786k.

Authors

Hui Zhong¹, Xiaohong An¹, Yu Li², Minxuan Cai¹, Owais Ahmad¹, Jing Shang¹, Jia Zhou¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University Nanjing 211198 P. R. China [email protected] [email protected].
² Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology Zhongshan North No. 1 Road Shanghai 200083 China.

Abstract

Vitiligo is an intriguing depigmentation disorder that affects about 0.5-2% of the world population. In the past decade, first-line treatments of vitiligo have involved the use of calcineurin inhibitors and corticosteroids. Sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS) has been widely applied in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in China. In the present study, the effect of STS on melanogenesis was confirmed in the B16F10 cells and zebrafish by direct observation. The prevention of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced oxidative stress has been proven to be beneficial to vitiligo patients, and STS that can protect the B16F10 cells against oxidative stress has been investigated in the present reversed study. Moreover, we found that pre-treatment with STS led to a concentration-dependent mitochondrial impairment and decreased cell apoptosis of the B16F10 cells in response to H₂O₂. In addition, we demonstrated that STS increased melanin synthesis in the B16F10 cells by activating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase A (PKA) pathways. STS also increased the Cdc42 and KIF5b expression to stimulate the translocation of melanin. These results suggest that STS protects the B16F10 cells against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress and exerts melanin synthesis activity in the B16F10 cells by activating the MAPK and PKA pathways; thus, it shows therapeutic potential for vitiligo.