STAT3 and myocardial ischemia: Although it has been reported that thymol contributed to minimizing the inflammatory responses via decreasing the levels of p-STAT3 in lipopolysaccharide-treated macrophages [36], luteolin, another natural compound, has recently showed a cardioprotective effect by inhibiting inflammatory reactions via activation of STAT3 signaling in a myocardial ischemia/reperfusion model [37].