Research progress on action and new dosage form oftanshinone IIA inliver diseases / 中国药理学通报

ABSTRACT

Liver diseases is one of serious public health problems due to their high global prevalence and poor long-term clinical outcomes. As a main active ingredient extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza, Tanshinone II A (Tan IIA) has been widely studied because of its various biological activities. Many experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated that Tan IIA can prevent and slow down the progression of various diseases through anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, anti-cancer, anti-angiogenesis and other ways. Moreover, it can treat a variety of diseases including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, liver diseases, cancerand neurodegenerative diseases. However, Tan IIA is a highly hydrophobic compound with the disadvantages of poor oral absorption and bioavailability. To improve the current applications of Tan IIA, it is necessary to prepare new drug delivery systems such as nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, solid dispersions. In this article, an overview of Tan H A will be given with emphasis on the therapeutic activity and newly prepared dosage forms in liver diseases, including inflammation-related liver damage, liver fibrosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This review may provide theoretical clues for clinical therapeutic applications of Tan IIA in liver diseases.