Effect of Salvia Miltiorrhiza on coronary collateral circulation in dogs with experimental acute myocardial infarction

Salvia miltiorrhizaBurge (Danshen): a golden herbal medicine in cardiovascular therapeutics

Salvia miltiorrhiza Burge (Danshen) is an eminent medicinal herb that possesses broad cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protective actions and has been used in Asian countries for many centuries. Accumulating evidence suggests that Danshen and its components prevent vascular diseases, in particular, atherosclerosis and cardiac diseases, including myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, arrhythmia, cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac fibrosis. The published literature indicates that lipophilic constituents (tanshinone I, tanshinone IIa, tanshinone IIb, cryptotanshinone, dihydrotanshinone, etc) as well as hydrophilic constituents (danshensu, salvianolic acid A and B, protocatechuic aldehyde, etc) contribute to the cardiovascular protective actions of Danshen, suggesting a potential synergism among these constituents. Herein, we provide a systematic up-to-date review on the cardiovascular actions and therapeutic potential of major pharmacologically active constituents of Danshen. These bioactive compounds will serve as excellent drug candidates in small-molecule cardiovascular drug discovery. This article also provides a scientific rationale for understanding the traditional use of Danshen in cardiovascular therapeutics.

Quality evaluation of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and chemical fingerprinting coupled with chemometric analysis

An ultra high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection method is developed for the simultaneous quantitative determination of five water-soluble compounds including danshensu, protocatechualdehyde, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, and salvianolic acid A in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge.

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Through method optimization, the five compounds all expressed good linearity (R(2) > 0.9990) in a wide concentration range together with satisfactory accuracy, precision, and stability. Moreover, through qualitative analysis of the chemical fingerprint combined with similarity analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, principle component analysis, and partial least-squares discriminate analysis, we determined that the 13 batches of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. were similar in internal quality and the differences resulted from various cultivation environments, recovery elements, and others. Seen from the results of hierarchical cluster analysis and principle component analysis, the classification of 13 batches was in accordance, and partial least-squares discriminate analysis technique was more suitable than the principle component analysis model to provide a distinct classification of test samples on the basis of their different components. Moreover, a permutation test verified the rationality of partial least-squares discriminate analysis and variable importance plot showed that peaks 37 and 38 were the most significant variables in distinguishing the Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge.

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The idea of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. was convenient, sensitive, and comprehensive, which could be applied to evaluate the quality of more traditional Chinese medicines.

Angiogenic Effects of Danshen and Gegen Decoction on Human Endothelial Cells and Zebrafish Embryos

Coronary artery diseases (CAD) are the most common diseases worldwide. Despite improvements in standard heart surgeries, many patients still progress to advanced stages. Recent clinical trials have shown encouraging results that pro-angiogenic treatment improved heart function recovery. Danshen and Gegen have been widely used in treating heart diseases for thousands of years in China. Our previous findings showed that a Danshen and Gegen decoction in weight ratio of 7 to 3 (DG) had a potential vasodilation effect and provided cardiac protection in patients with atherosclerosis. In the present study, we examine the therapeutic potential of Danshen and Gegen decoction (DG) in CAD. A screening using a transgenic zebrafish embryo model was performed to check vessel sprouting. In addition, human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) were used to explore underlying mechanisms. Our results revealed that DG enhanced the sprouting of sub-intestinal vessels (SIVs) of zebrafish embryos. Sprout intensity in the high concentration DG-treated group (500 μg/ml) was significantly higher than the control group. In vitro experiments showed that DG also induced HMEC-1 cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation. In conclusion, DG possesses pro-angiogenic properties by inducing endothelial cell activation, which may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of CAD.

Quantitative Analysis of the Marker Compounds in Salvia miltiorrihiza Root and Its Phytomedicinal Preparations

A HPLC method is described in order to separate and identify 4 phenolic compounds including lithospermic acid B, 3,4-dihydroxyphenyllactic acid (danshensu), rosmarinic acid, and protocatechuic aldehyde as well as 3 lipophilic ones (tanshinone I, tanshinone II(A) and cryptotanshinone) from the roots of Salvia miltiorrihiza or the herbal product containing S. miltiorrihiza available in Chinese or Japanese market. The influence of extractive conditions, such as method, solvents and time, on the 4 phenolic marker components in S. miltiorrihiza is well discussed. In order to investigate the stability of lithospermic acid B, the preparation samples of an injection and a granule were analyzed after being stored at 4 degrees C, 20 degrees C and 40 degrees C for up to six months.