Design, synthesis and vasodilative activity of tanshinone IIA derivatives.

In this study, tanshione IIA derivatives were synthesized by the reactions of brominated tanshinone IIA with some aromatic acids for the first time. Vasodilative activities in vitro of tanshinone IIA derivatives were valuated on the contractile response of vascular thoracic aorta smooth muscle from Wistar rats. Most of them exhibited a concentration-dependent inhibition of the contractile response of norepinephrine. The structure–activity relationship showed that vascular relaxation was significantly different by aromatic acids with different substituent groups.