Tanshinone I

Tanshinone I is a diterpene that has been found in S. miltiorrhiza and has diverse biological activities, including anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, anticoagulant and neuroprotective properties. It inhibits proliferation in a variety of cancer cell lines, including KB/VCR, MCF-7/ADR, and K562/A02 multidrug resistance cell lines. It inhibits topoisomerase I- and topoisomerase II-mediated supercoiled DNA relaxation activity. It has been shown to induce apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. It reduces plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and nonesterified fatty acids and decreases blood glucose levels in a rat model of type 2 diabetes induced by streptozotocin and a high-fat diet. Tanshinone I reduces the LPS-induced expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in microglia in vitro. It is neuroprotective in a mouse model of Parkinson‘s disease induced by MPTP.