AUTHOR=Zhao Huan , Han Bing , Li Xuan , Sun Chengtao , Zhai Yufei , Li Man , Jiang Mi , Zhang Weiping , Liang Yi , Kai Guoyin 

TITLE=Salvia miltiorrhiza in Breast Cancer Treatment: A Review of Its Phytochemistry, Derivatives, Nanoparticles, and Potential Mechanisms

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.872085

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2022.872085

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=Breast cancer is one of the most-deadly malignancies in women worldwide. Salvia miltiorrhiza, a perennial plant that belongs to the genus Salvia, has long been used in the management of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The main anti-breast cancer constituents in S. miltiorrhiza are liposoluble tanshinones including dihydrotanshinone I, tanshinone I, tanshinone IIA and cryptotanshinone, and water-soluble phenolic acids represented by salvianolic acid A, salvianolic acid B, salvianolic acid C and rosmarinic acid. These active components have potent efficacy on breast cancer in vitro and in vivo. The mechanisms mainly include induction of apoptosis, autophagy and cell cycle arrest, anti-metastasis, and formation of cancer stem cells, and potentiation of antitumor immunity. This review summarized the main bioactive constituents of S. miltiorrhiza and their derivatives or nanoparticles that possess anti-breast cancer activity. Besides, the synergistic combination with other drugs and the underlying molecular mechanisms were also summarized to provide a reference for the future research of S. miltiorrhiza for breast cancer treatment.