IN-VITRO CYTOTOXICITY OF TANSHINONES FROM SALVIA-MILTIORRHIZA

The cytotoxicity-guided fractionation of the roots of Salvia miltiorrh iza B. (Labiatae) extracts led to the isolation of eighteen active pri nciples 1 similar to 18, responsible for the cytotoxicity against five cultured human tumor cell lines, i,e., A549 (nonsmall cell lung), SK- OV-3 (ovary), SK-MEL-2 (melanoma), XF498 (central nerve system) and HC T-15 (colon), using the SRB (sulfrhodamine-B) method in vitro. All act ive compounds 1 similar to 18 including two novel components 5 and 11 were comprised of tanshinone pigments, unusual diterpenes exclusively found in this species. The proliferation of each examined tumor cell l ine was significantly inhibited (ICS, values ranged from O.2 to 8.1 mu g/ml) during the continuous exposure of tumor cells to 1 similar to 1 8 for 48 hours, respectively.