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=13

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=<p>Breast cancer is one of the most deadly malignancies in women worldwide. <italic>Salvia miltiorrhiza</italic>, a perennial plant that belongs to the genus <italic>Salvia</italic>, has long been used in the management of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The main anti-breast cancer constituents in <italic>S. miltiorrhiza</italic> 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 <italic>in vitro</italic> and <italic>in vivo</italic>. The mechanisms mainly include induction of apoptosis, autophagy and cell cycle arrest, anti-metastasis, formation of cancer stem cells, and potentiation of antitumor immunity. This review summarized the main bioactive constituents of <italic>S. miltiorrhiza</italic> 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 future research on <italic>S. miltiorrhiza</italic> for breast cancer treatment.</p>