The aim of this study was to investigate the cardioprotective effects and the possible mechanisms of delayed preconditioning induced by tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes subjected to anoxia-reoxygenation injury. Cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were preconditioned using TMP at different concentrations (100, 200 and 500 microM). Cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase release, malondialdehyde formation, superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione peroxidase activity were measured to determine the protective effects against anoxia-reoxygenation injury. The expression of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) was measured 24 hr after TMP preconditioning by Western blot analysis. The results showed that TMP decreased lactate dehydrogenase release, increased cell viability, suppressed malondialdehyde formation and augmented activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the delayed protection was abolished by pre-treating with either protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine chloride or PD98059, a selective inhibitor of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2, respectively, and the expression of Hsp70 was significantly increased in 24 hr after TMP preconditioning that was also suppressed by chelerythrine chloride or PD98059. These results suggest that TMP can induce delayed cardioprotective effects by activation of protein kinase C and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 signalling pathways and subsequent increased expression of Hsp70 in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes.