Abstract: AimTo study the preconditioning effects and mechanism of action of sodium ferulate (SF) on primary cultured myocardial cell injury induced by anoxia/reoxygenation. MethodsCultured myocardial cells of neonatal SD rats were randomly divided into ten groups: control group: without any treatment; anoxia/reoxygenation group (A/R), reoxygenation of 1 h following anoxia of 3 h; anoxia preconditioning group (AP), reoxygenation of 30 mins following anoxia of 30 mins, three times before the same procedure as group A/R; SF preconditioning groups, 20 mins of SF (1.68, 0.42, 0.105 mmol·L^-1 in final concentration) preconditioning followed by 10 mins wash out before A/R; K⁺_ATP channel blocker group, NOS inhibitor group and PKC inhibitor group, adding gliberclamide, L-NAME, ploymyxin B at final concentration of 12 g·mL^-1, 50 μmol·L^-1, 50 μmol·L^-1, to culture medium respectively 10 min before the same procedures as SF preconditioning group (1.68 mmol·L^-1). Myocardial cells pulse rate and rhythm, myocyte viability, the activity of LDH and CK in culture, the contents of intracelluar MDA, LD in myocardial cells, the activity of SOD and GSH-Px of the cultured myocardial cell were measured at the end of experiment. ResultsCompared with control group, anoxia/reoxygenation caused great increases of levels of LDH, CK, MDA and LD (P<0.01), decreases of myocardial cells pulse rate, cell viability, SOD and GSH-Px (P<0.01); SF preconditioning significantly attenualed these increases and decreases. Glib, L-NAME, and Ploy B partly abolished the effects of SF preconditioning. ConclusionSF preconditioning is effective in protecting myocardial cells from anoxia injury. The cardioprotective effect of SF preconditioning is produced by multiple factors.