Phytochemical and pharmacological profiles of various Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge cultivars grown in Korea

The present study, we investigated the phenolic acid and tanshinone compositions of different cultivars of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge grown in Korea and the effects of their ethanolic extracts on inflammation in the cocultures of adipocytes and macrophages. Major phytochemicals in S. miltiorrhiza Bunge were tanshinones (tanshinone IIA and cryptotanshinone) and phenolic acids (salvianolic acid and rosmarinic acid), which were more abundant in the cultivar ‘Hongdan’ than in other cultivars. The inhibitory effects of the extract of the cultivar ‘Hongdan’ on nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages were greater than those of the extracts of the cultivars ‘Gosan’ and ‘Dasan’ and those of the commercial product. Treatment with the ‘Hongdan’ extract exhibited stronger inhibition of lipid accumulation and the expression of major adipogenic transcription factor proteins in adipocytes than that observed in the treatments with the extracts of the other cultivars. Furthermore the ‘Hongdan’ extract significantly inhibited the secretion of inflammatory mediators, such as interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in adipocyte and macrophage cocultures. This study suggests that the ‘Hongdan’ extract has the potential to prevent obesity-related inflammatory diseases. • Pharmacological activities varied significantly across different S. miltiorrhiza cultivars. • Salvianolic acid B and tanshinone IIA might be key contributors to the pharmacological activity. • The "Hongdan" cultivar had superior pharmacological effects.