REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Cardiovascular and Smooth Muscle Pharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1620152
Harnessing the therapeutic value of tanshinone IIA: A breakthrough therapy in cardiovascular diseases
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Medical Cardiology, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
- 2Ganzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Ganzhou, China
- 3Clinical Medical College, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
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Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have emerged as one of the leading causes of global mortality and health burden, with their prevalence and mortality rates demonstrating a persistent upward trend, thereby posing significant challenges to public health worldwide. Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA), the principal lipophilic bioactive component isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, has gained substantial recognition in cardiovascular therapeutics. Accumulating evidence from recent investigations has demonstrated that Tan IIA exhibits multi-target pharmacological properties and modulates diverse signaling pathways in cardiovascular protection, positioning it as a promising candidate in natural product-based drug discovery. The therapeutic efficacy is mediated through multiple mechanisms, including but not limited to anti-atherosclerotic effects, lipid homeostasis regulation, anti-arrhythmic properties, myocardial functional enhancement, and hemodynamic stabilization. This comprehensive review systematically elucidates the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets underlying Tan IIA's cardio-protective effects, particularly focusing on its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-atherosclerotic, and myocardial preservation properties. Furthermore, we critically evaluate its current clinical applications and propose potential directions for future research to optimize its therapeutic potential in cardiovascular medicine.
Keywords: tanshinone IIA, Cardiovascular Diseases, Therapeutic mechanisms, molecular targets, clinical use
Received: 29 Apr 2025; Accepted: 24 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wan, Du, Guan, Zhang and Jia. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Qiang Wan, Department of Medical Cardiology, Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.