Dihydrotanshinone I (DI) is a naturally occurring compound extracted from ''
Salvia miltiorrhiza
''Salvia miltiorrhiza'' (), also known as red sage, redroot sage, Chinese sage, or danshen, is a perennial plant in the genus ''Salvia'', highly valued for its roots in traditional Chinese medicine. Native to China and Japan, it grows at elevat ...
'' Bunge, also known as Chinese sage, red sage root, and the Chinese herbal Dan Shen. It belongs to a class of
lipophilic
Lipophilicity (from Greek language, Greek λίπος "fat" and :wikt:φίλος, φίλος "friendly") is the ability of a chemical compound to dissolve in fats, oils, lipids, and non-polar solvents such as hexane or toluene. Such compounds are c ...
abietane
Abietane is an organic compound with the formula C20H36. It is a tricyclic, saturated hydrocarbon with an elaborate stereochemistry. It is a colorless solid. It is of little biochemical interest except as a reference structure of the abietanes.
...
diterpenoids
Diterpenes are a class of terpenes composed of four isoprene units, often with the molecular formula C20H32. They are biosynthesized by plants, animals and fungi via the HMG-CoA reductase pathway, with geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate being a primary ...
and has been reported to have cytotoxicity to a variety of tumor cells,
as well as
antiviral
Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses. Antiviral drugs are a class of antimicrobials ...
effects ''in vitro''.
Since they were first discovered, over 40 related compounds and over 50 hydrophilic compounds have been isolated from Dan Shen.
References
Diketones
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