Cytotoxic effect and apoptotic mechanism of tanshinone A, a novel tanshinone derivative, on human erythroleukemic K562 cells.

Tanshinone A is a novel derivative of phenanthrene-quinone extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza BUNGE, a traditional herbal medicine. Cytotoxic effect of tanshinone A was observed in this study. Additionally its mechanism of promoting apoptosis was also investigated.