Continuous synthesis and anti-myocardial injury of tanshinone IIA derivatives

Functional characterization of CYP81C16 involved in the tanshinone biosynthetic pathway in Salvia miltiorrhiza

Danshen, the dried roots and rhizomes of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (S. miltiorrhiza), is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Tanshinones, the bioactive compounds from Danshen, exhibit a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties, suggesting their potential for future therapeutic applications. Tanshinone biosynthesis is a complex process involving at least six P450 enzymes that have been identified and characterized, most of which belong to the CYP76 and CYP71 families. In this study, CYP81C16, a member of the CYP71 clan, was identified in S. miltiorrhiza. An in vitro assay revealed that it could catalyze the hydroxylation of four para-quinone-type tanshinones, namely neocryptotanshinone, deoxyneocryptotanshinone, and danshenxinkuns A and B. SmCYP81C16 emerged as a potential broad-spectrum oxidase targeting the C-18 position of para-quinone-type tanshinones with an impressive relative conversion rate exceeding 90%. Kinetic evaluations andin vivo assays underscored its highest affinity towards neocryptotanshinone among the tested substrates. The overexpression of SmCYP81C16 promoted the accumulation of (iso)tanshinone in hairy root lines. The characterization of SmCYP81C16 in this study accentuates its potential as a pivotal tool in the biotechnological production of tanshinones, either through microbial or plant metabolic engineering.

Tanshinone IIA: Pharmacology, total synthesis, and progress in structure-modifications

Tanshinone IIA, a major bioactive constituent of Danshen, a Chinese herbal medicine, has gained extensive exploration owing to its unique structural features and multiple promising biological activities. This review focuses on the pharmacology, total synthesis, and structural modifications of tanshinone IIA. We hope this review will contribute to a better understanding of the progress in the field and provide constructive suggestions for further study of tanshinone IIA.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of tanshinone IIA-based analogues: Potent inhibitors of microtubule formation and angiogenesis

We report the structural optimization of tanshinone IIA, a natural product which possesses anti-tumor properties but low water-solubility, weak antiproliferative activity and poor PK properties. A new series of ring A/C/D modified tanshinone analogues were synthesized and studied for their antiproliferative capacities against six human cancer cell lines. SAR study revealed that ring A cleavage of tanshinone IIA led to improved anti-cancer activity. Introduction of a methoxy group to the phenyl ring could enhance the anti-cancer activity even further. Compound 2f with methoxy group at C-8 position was selected as an early lead with IC₅₀ values of 0.28-3.16 μM against six tested cell lines. 2f could bind to tubulin colchicine site, inhibit tubulin assembly and disrupt the normal formation of microtubule networks. Cellular mechanistic studies revealed that 2f induced apoptotic cell death of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner. In vitro investigations showed that 2f impeded the tubule-formation of HUVECs and potently inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 cells as well as HUVECs. Furthermore, the in vivo anti-angiogenic effect of 2f was confirmed via a zebrafish model test. The satisfactory physicochemical property and metabolic stability of 2f, as well as improved water-solubility, further suggested that 2f could serve as a promising tubulin inhibitor and anti-angiogenic agent.

Tanshinones and their Derivatives: Heterocyclic Ring-Fused Diterpenes of Biological Interest

The available scientific literature regarding tanshinones is very abundant, and after its review, it is noticeable that most of the articles focus on the properties of tanshinone I, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone IIA, sodium tanshinone IIA sulfonate and the dried root extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Tan- Shen). However, although these products have demonstrated important biological properties in both in vitro and in vivo models, their poor solubility and bioavailability have limited their clinical applications. For these reasons, many studies have focused on the search for new pharmaceutical formulations for tanshinones, as well as the synthesis of new derivatives that improve their biological properties. To provide new insights into the critical path ahead, we systemically reviewed the most recent advances (reported since 2015) on tanshinones in scientific databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, and Clinical Trials). With a broader perspective, we offer an update on the last five years of new research on these quinones, focusing on their synthesis, biological activity on noncommunicable diseases and drug delivery systems, to support future research on its clinical applications.

Tanshinones: An Update in the Medicinal Chemistry in Recent 5 Years

Tanshinones are an important type of natural products isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge with various bioactivities. Tanshinone IIa, cryptotanshinone and tanshinone I are three kinds of tanshinones which have been widely investigated. Particularly, sodium tanshinone IIa sulfonate is a water-soluble derivative of tanshinone IIa and it is used in clinical in China for treating cardiovascular diseases. In recent years, there are increasing interests in the investigation of tanshinones derivatives in various diseases. This article presents a review of the anti-atherosclerotic effects, cardioprotective effects, anticancer activities, antibacterial activities and antiviral activities of tanshinones and structural modification work in recent years.

Effect of probucol on hemodynamics, rheology and blood lipid of diabetic retinopathy

The effect of probucol in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy was investigated to analyze its impact on its hemodynamics, rheology and blood lipid. A total of 80 patients with diabetic retinopathy who were treated in the Ninth People's Hospital of Chongqing (Chongqing, China) from January 2015 to August 2016 were selected and divided into two groups by random number table, with 40 patients in each group. Control group was treated by conventional and intensive glycemic control and antihypertensive therapy, while observation group was orally administered with 0.375 g probucol twice a day on the basis of intensive therapy. Outpatient follow-up was performed to all the patients for 6 months, then, among the blood rheology, the changes in blood viscosity and erythrocyte aggregation indexes at different time points before and after intervention in the two groups were compared, mean blood flow velocities in renal artery, renal artery pulse indexes and renal artery resistance indexes at different time points were recorded, changes in blood lipid of the two groups before and after intervention were compared, and complication rates during the treatment were calculated. After intervention, the whole blood viscosity at high shear rate, whole blood viscosity at low shear rate and plasma viscosity in observation group were lower than those before intervention and lower than those in control group after intervention (P<0.05); The erythrocyte aggregation indexes in observation group were obviously increased compared with those in control group at 1 week, 1 month and 6 months after intervention (P<0.05). The mean blood flow velocities in renal artery in observation group were remarkably higher than those in control group at 1 week, 1 month and 6 months after intervention (P<0.05), while the renal artery pulse indexes and resistance indexes in observation group were lower than those in control group in the same period (P<0.05). In observation group, the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyeride (TG) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) after intervention were decreased compared with those before intervention, while the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was increased. The levels of TC, TG and LDL-C in observation group were lower than those in control group after intervention, while the HDL-C level was higher (P<0.05). During the treatment, the total incidence of phlebitis, chills, fever, rash and maculopapule in observation group was obviously lower than that in control group. Probucol can significantly improve the hemodynamic and rheological indexes and lower blood lipid in the body, and is an effective medicine for diabetic retinopathy.