TANSHINONES: ANTIMYCOBACTERIAL AGENTS——ITS BILE EXCRETION AND BIOTRANSFORMATION IN RAT LIVER

Tanshinone Ⅰ, Tanshinone Ⅱ_A, Cryptotanshinone, total Tanshinones and alcoholic extract of Dan-Shen, the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bange, were given intraduodenally in rats. The concentration of Tanshinones excreted in bile were determined by HPLC. It was found that the concentration of Tanshinone Ⅱ_A excreted in bile in the group of alcoholic extract of Dan-Shen was five to ten times as much as in the group of Tanshinone Ⅱ_A. It was also shown that Cryptotanshinone can be biotransformed into Tanshinone Ⅱ_A by dehydrogenation in the liver. The active substances against mycobacterium-607 in liver can also be detected by microbiological assay.