Content Determination and Chemical Clustering Analysis of Tanshinone and Salvianolic Acid in spp.

is one of the famous traditional Chinese medicines for treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Tanshinone and phenolic acids are the main active compounds of , whereas the distribution patterns of the two kinds of components are still unclear among spp. In this work, high-performance liquid chromatography was applied to analyze the distribution patterns of major components in the roots and leaves of 58 spp. The results showed that the distribution patterns of tanshinone and phenolic acids in spp. varied significantly. Phenolic acid components such as rosmarinus acid, caffeic acid, and danshensu are widely distributed in the roots and leaves, and phenolic acids in the leaves of spp. are generally higher than that in roots. Tanshinones are mainly detected in the roots of , , , and . The content of major components of the different species varied significantly. The content of phenolic acids in most spp. generally followed the pattern of salvianolic acid B > rosmarinic acid > danshensu > caffeic acid both in the roots and leaves. Tanshinone IIA and cryptotanshinone were the main lipophilic components of spp. distributed in southwest China. A correlation between the distribution pattern of tanshinone and the genetic relationship of species was indicated in the work. This research systematically reveals the distribution patterns of tanshinone and phenolic acids in spp., providing a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of medicinal resources of .