in Breast Cancer Treatment: A Review of Its Phytochemistry, Derivatives, Nanoparticles, and Potential Mechanisms.

Breast cancer is one of the most deadly malignancies in women worldwide. , a perennial plant that belongs to the genus , has long been used in the management of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The main anti-breast cancer constituents in 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 and . 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 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 for breast cancer treatment.