Simultaneous purification of dihydrotanshinone, tanshinone I, cryptotanshinone, and tanshinone IIA from Salvia miltiorrhiza and their anti-inflammatory activities investigation

Dihydrotanshinone, tanshinone I, cryptotanshinone, and tanshinone IIA are major lipid-soluble constituents isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Danshen). In the present study, a systematic method was developed to simultaneously isolate and purify those compounds using macroporous adsorption resins and semi-preparative HPLC with a dynamic axial compress (DAC) system. The Danshen extract (95% alcohol) was divided into three fractions using different concentrations of alcohol (0%, 45%, and 90%) on D101 column. The content of total tanshinones of 90% alcohol eluent (TTS) was over 97%. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory effects of those samples were investigated on LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and three animal models. The results showed that the anti-inflammatory effect of TTS in vitro was superior to the one of any other sample including 0% and 45% eluent, and total tanshinones capsules. In addition, TTS exhibited a stronger anti-inflammatory effect than that of dihydrotanshinone, tanshinone IIA, cryptotanshinone, and tanshinone I, respectively. For animal models, TTS could significantly suppress xylene-induced ear oedema and rescue LPS-induced septic death and acute kidney injury in mice. In summary, the separation process developed in the study was high-efficiency, economic, and low-contamination, which was fit to industrial producing. TTS is a potential agent for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.