Danshen-Honghua herb pair: A review on chemical constituents, pharmacology, clinical application, quality control,...

Herb pair is a relatively fixed and smallest unit of formula in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) prescription. It involves the simultaneous use of two medicines, yet still retains the fundamental characteristics of compound compatibility. As a classic herb pair, Danshen-Honghua (DS-HH) works synergistically to activate blood circulation and resolve stasis, demonstrating remarkable efficacy in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

This review comprehensively summarizes the traditional applications, chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, and quality control of DS-HH to guide its clinical use.

We systematically searched PubMed, CNKI, TCM WIKI, and ETCM and other databases using keywords like "Salvia miltiorrhiza", "Carthamus", "Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Carthami Flos", "Danshen-Honghua", "chemical composition", "pharmacological action", "pharmacokinetics", "quality control", etc. Data analysis included t-copula modeling for dose-coupling effect.

The DS-HH pair appears 106 times in literature (39 in Chinese Pharmacopoeia). DS-HH contains 547 characterized compounds, with key bioactive constituents (hydroxysafflor yellow A, salvianolic acid B, tanshinone IIA, danshensu) driving its multi-target effects: cardioprotection, antiplatelet aggregation, neuroprotection, lipid-lowering, and protection of vascular endothelial cells. The combination of DS and HH enhances the dissolution of flavonoids, caffeic acid, and danshensu from the herbal matrix. In vivo studies demonstrate that co-administration increases the distribution and absorption of danshensu, protocatechuic acid, and hydroxysafflor yellow A while reducing their clearance rates, and prolongs the half-lives of protocatechualdehyde and caffeic acid. These pharmacokinetic modifications collectively reflect the synergistic mechanism of DS-HH compatibility-mutual potentiation of bioactive component distribution/absorption coupled with delayed elimination, thereby amplifying overall therapeutic efficacy. For quality control, an integrated approach combines Q-markers, fingerprinting, and QAMS, with tanshinone IIA, cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I, salvianolic acid B, hydroxysafflor yellow A, and kaempferol as indicator constituents. T-copula analysis revealed a robust nonlinear positive correlation between DS and HH dosages, showing intensified synergistic interactions when either component's dosage was significantly adjusted.

This systematic review elucidates DS-HH's material basis and mechanisms, supporting its therapeutic potential.