Aim: To investigate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in oridonin-induced apoptosis and autophagy in murine fibrosarcoma L929 cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: Cell viability was measured using MTT assay. Intracellular NO level, SubG 1 cell ratio and autophagy cell ratios were analyzed with flow cytometry after diaminofluorescein-2 diacetate (DAF-2DA), propidium iodide (PI) and monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining, respec tively. Protein expression was examined using Western blot analysis. Results: Exposure of L929 cells to oridonin (50 µmol/L) for 24 h led to intracellular NO production. Pretreatment with NOS inhibitor 1400w or L-NAME inhibited oridonin-induced apoptosis and autophagy in L929 cells. The pretreatment decreased the apoptosisrelated protein Bax translocation and cytochrome c release, increased Bcl-2 level, reversed the autophagy-associated protein Beclin 1 increase and conversion of LC3 I to LC3 II. Furthermore, pretreatment with NO scavenger DTT completely inhibited oridonin-induced apoptosis and autophagy in L929 cells. In addi tion, oridonin (50 µmol/L) activated ERK and p53 in L929 cells, and the interruption of ERK and p53 activation by PD 98059, pifithrin-α, or ERK siRNA decreased oridonin-induced apoptosis and autophagy. The inhibition of NO production reduced oridonin-induced ERK and p53 activa tion, and NO production was down-regulated by blocking ERK and p53 activation. Conclusion: NO played a pivotal role in oridonin-induced apoptosis and autophagy in L929 cells. Taken together with our previous finding that ERK contributes to p53 activation, it appears that NO, ERK, and p53 form a positive feedback loop. Consequently, we suggest that oridonin-induced apoptosis and autophagy are modulated by the NO-ERK-p53 molecular signaling mechanism in L929 cells.Keywords: oridonin; murine fibrosarcoma L929 cells; apoptosis; autophagy; NO; ERK; p53 Acta Pharmacologica Sinica (2012Sinica ( ) 33: 1055Sinica ( -1061 doi: 10.1038/aps.2012 published online 30 Jul 2012 Original Article is characterized by an ensemble of morphological features, including cellular shrinkage, plasma membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation and apoptotic body formation [6] . Apoptosis can be triggered by intrinsic and extrinsic pathways that involve either mitochondria or death receptors [7] . Macroautophagy (hereafter referred to as autophagy) is the most active form of autophagy and affects various physiological and pathological processes, including immunity, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases [8,9] . Autophagy is the process by which organelles and cytosolic macromolecules are sequestered into double-membrane structures known as autophagosomes that are subsequently delivered to the lysosome for degradation [10] . Autophagy is regulated by several autophagy-related ATG genes, many of which have mammalian orthologs. Two well-known ATG genes in mammals are Beclin 1 and microtubule-associated . Beclin 1, which is the mammalian homolog of Atg6 and functions in either the autophagic ...