Morton JS, Quon A, Cheung PY, Sawamura T, Davidge ST. Effect of sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate treatment in a rat model of preeclampsia. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 308: R163-R172, 2015. First published December 4, 2014 doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00222.2014.-Preeclampsia is a disorder of pregnancy with a significant impact on maternal and fetal health. The complexity of this multifactorial condition has precluded development of effective therapies and, although many potential pathways have been investigated, the etiology still requires clarification. Our group has investigated the scavenger lectin-like oxidized LDL (LOX-1) receptor, which may respond to factors released from the distressed placenta that contribute to the vascular pathologies observed in preeclampsia. Given the known beneficial effects of sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate (STS; a component of Salvia miltiorrhiza) on vasodilation, reduction of oxidative stress, and lipid profiles, we have investigated its role as a potential treatment strategy. We hypothesized that STS would improve vascular endothelial function and, combined with a reduction in oxidative stress, would improve pregnancy outcomes in a rat model of preeclampsia (reduced uteroplacental perfusion pressure, RUPP). We further hypothesized this may occur via the action of STS on the LOX-1 and/or platelet-activating factor (PAF) receptor axes. The RUPP model increased maternal blood pressure, vascular oxidative stress, and involvement of the vascular PAF receptor. Treatment with STS during pregnancy decreased both oxidative stress and involvement of the PAF receptor; however, it also increased involvement of the LOX-1 receptor, which is in line with the concept that scavenger receptors, such as LOX-1 and PAF, are upregulated in response to ligand binding and/or under pathological conditions. In this model of preeclampsia, however, the vascular actions of STS did not lead to improvements in pregnancy outcome such as fetal biometrics or maternal blood pressure. preeclampsia; pregnancy; vascular function; tanshinone; LOX-1; PAF receptor PREECLAMPSIA is a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality affecting from 2% to 8% of pregnancies worldwide each year with developing countries impacted to a greater extent than industrialized countries (44). It is a highly complex disorder for which many pathological pathways and potential key components have been proposed. In general, poor development of placental spiral arteries is thought to cause the release of circulating factors from a poorly perfused placenta, which impair maternal vascular function, manifested as endothelial dysfunction (4, 17, 27). Impaired maternal vascular function then leads to an abnormal hemodynamic response to pregnancy and reduced perfusion of maternal organs, including the placenta, resulting in a positive feedback loop. Currently, the only known "cure" for preeclampsia is removal of the placenta, and by default the fetus, reinforcing this organ's central role in the disorder. Our own group has demonstr...