Potential Applications of Tanshinones in Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Diseases

The biological activities of tanshinones, the lipophilic components isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) have been extensively investigated in the past decades. Numerous studies have investigated the versatile abilities of tanshinones in a variety of diseases including acute ischemic stroke, cardiac arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, hypertension, obesity, metabolic syndrome, liver fibrosis, chronic hepatitis and different kinds of cancers. In this regard, the underlying mechanisms of action and potential clinical applications of tanshinones especially in drug adjuvant therapy have been evaluated. The present review briefly summarizes recent studies on the pharmacological activities and possible mechanisms of action for tanshinones as therapeutic agents in different gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases with emphasis on tanshinone IIA, the most abundant tanshinone found in Danshen