Preclinical factors affecting the pharmacokinetic behaviour of tanshinone IIA, an investigational new drug isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza for the treatment of ischaemic heart diseases

Tanshinone IIA (TSIIA) is a major active triterpenoid isolated from Salvia miltiorrhiza. The purposes of this study were to investigate various preclinical factors that determined the pharmacokinetics of TSIIA. After oral dosing at 6.7, 20, and 60 mg kg(-1), TSIIA was detected mainly as glucuronidated conjugate (TSIIAG) with only small amounts of the unchanged in the plasma. TSIIA was predominantly excreted into the bile and faeces as TSIIAG, and urine to a minor extent. The C-max and AUC(0-t) of TSIIAG after i.p. administration were significantly lower than those after intragastric administration. The plasma concentration-time profiles of TSIIA following oral dosing of TSIIA showed multiple peaks. The C-max and AUC(0-t) of TSIIA and its glucuronides in rats with intact bile duct were significantly lower than those of rats with bile duct cannulation. Studies from the linked-rat model and intraduodenal injection of bile containing TSIIA and its metabolites indicate that TSIIA glucuronides underwent hydrolysis and the aglycone was reabsorbed from the gut and excreted into the bile as conjugates. TSIIA had a wide tissue distribution, with a very high accumulation in the lung, but very limited penetration into the brain and testes. TSIIA was metabolized by rat CYP2C, 3A and 2D, as ticlopidine, ketoconazole and quinidine all inhibited TSIIA metabolism in rat liver microsomes. Taken collectively, these findings indicate that multiple factors play important roles in determining the pharmacokinetics of TSIIA.