Tanshinone IIA isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza BUNGE induced apoptosis in HL60 human premyelocytic leukemia cell line

Apoptosis is a new therapeutic target of cancer research. Tanshinone IIA is olated from Salvia miltiorrhiza BUNGE, a traditional oriental medical herb, was observed to induce apoptosis in HL60 human premyelocytic leukemia cell line. Tanshinone IIA induced DNA fragmentation into the multiples of 180 b p and increased the percentage of hypodiploid cells in flow cytometry after propidium iodide (PI) staining. Tanshinone IIA-induced apoptosis is accomp anied by the specific proteolytic cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase ( PARP) and the activation of caspase-3, a major component in apoptotic cell death mechanism. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved .