The reversible protein tyrosine phosphorylation by protein tyrosine kinases (PTK) and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTP) is a key element of the signaling pathways induced by environmental stimuli.1,2) One of the intracellular PTPases, protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) has been implicated in the negative regulation of insulin signaling by dephosphorylating the insulin receptor (IR) as well as its substrate, insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS-2).3-5) The protein levels are increased in insulin-resistant diabetes patients and the deletion of PTP1B in mice has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity.6-8) Thus, inhibiting PTP1B action by using antisense oligonucleotides or small molecule inhibitors represents one of the novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of insulin resistance.9,10) There have been a number of reports on the designing and development of synthetic PTP1B inhibitors, 11) and several classes of plant-derived secondary metabolites have been described as PTP1B inhibitors.
12)The dried root of Salvia miltiorrhiza BUNGE (Labiatae), called 'Danshen' in China, is one of the most popular traditional Chinese medicines. This plant has been used for the treatment of various diseases such as menstrual disorder, menorrhalgia, insomnia, blood circulation diseases, angina pectoris, and inflammation. Particularly, the drug is valuable in the treatment of coronary heart diseases.13) The major constituents in the root of S. miltiorrhiza are abietane-type diterpene pigments, so called tanshinones, which have ortho-or para-naphthoquinone chromophores. 14) They are unique components found in the Salvia genus and many of them exhibit diverse biological activities. [15][16][17][18] In the study, the MeOH extract of the dried root of S. miltiorrhiza displayed significant PTP1B inhibitory effect and the further study was conducted to isolate and identify the active principles.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Plant MaterialsThe dried roots of S. miltiorrhiza were purchased from Il-sin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in Daejeon, Korea. A voucher specimen (no. 162) has been deposited in the author's laboratory.Extraction and Isolation The dried roots of S. miltiorrhiza (1 kg) were extracted with MeOH (4 l) for 24 h. A portion (300 ml) of the resulting MeOH extract was concentrated. The dried extract (2.64 g) was subjected to silica gel column chromatography (Merck Kieselgel 60; 100 g; 0.015-0.040 mm particle size; 4.5ϫ18.5 cm). The column was eluted with a gradient consisting of hexane-EtOAc (95 : 5, 1800 ml; 93 : 7, 400 ml; 90 : 10, 400 ml; 80 : 20, 400 ml; 70 : 30, 200 ml; 50 : 50, 200 ml; 40 : 60, 200 ml; 20 : 80, 200 ml; 100% EtOAc 200 ml; collecting 200 ml fraction) and 200 ml; 80 : 20, 200 ml; 70 : 30, 200 ml; collecting 200 ml fraction). Fractions of similar composition as determined by TLC analysis were pooled, affording 11 fractions (fr. 1-11). Fr. 2 (23 mg, eluted between 700 to 800 ml) yielded 1 (4.6 mg) by preparative reversed phase HPLC using a gradient from 60 to 100% C...