Hydroxysafflor Yellow A: A Promising Therapeutic Agent for a Broad Spectrum of Diseases

Abstract

Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is one of the major bioactive and water-soluble compounds isolated from Carthami Flos, the flower of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.). As a natural pigment with favorable medical use, HSYA has gained extensive attention due to broad and effective pharmacological activities since first isolation in 1993. In clinic, the safflor yellow injection which mainly contains about 80% HSYA was approved by the China State Food and Drug Administration and used to treat cardiac diseases such as angina pectoris. In basic pharmacology, HSYA has been proved to exhibit a broad spectrum of biological effects that include, but not limited to, cardiovascular effect, neuroprotection, liver and lung protection, antitumor activity, metabolism regulation, and endothelium cell protection. Although a great number of studies have been carried out to prove the pharmacological effects and corresponding mechanisms of HYSA, a systemic review of HYSA has not yet been seen. Here, we provide a comprehensive summarization of the pharmacological effects of HYSA. Together with special attention to mechanisms of actions, this review can serve as the basis for further researches and developments of this medicinal compound.

A Comprehensive Review of Natural Products against Liver Fibrosis: Flavonoids, Quinones, Lignans, Phenols, and Acids

“…Hydroxysafflor yellow A, a flavonoid compound extracted from Carthamus tinctorius L., has received extensive attention and possesses broad pharmacological activities [ 90 ]. Zhang's research revealed that 5 mg/kg hydroxysafflor yellow A attenuated liver fibrosis by downregulating TGF- β 1, inhibiting phosphorylation of Smad4, and suppressing the ERK5 signaling pathways [ 91 , 92 ].…”

Hydroxysafflor yellow�A induces autophagy in human liver cancer cells by regulating Beclin�1 and ERK expression

“…Due to its potency and minimal side effects, the clinical use of HSYA has continued to increase since 2000 (7). Previous studies have reported that safflower exerts antitumor effects (8), and it has been reported that HSYA prevented pulmonary metastasis in liver cancer cells (9), induced apoptosis in human gastric carcinoma cells (BGC-823 cells) (10) and inhibited the growth of transplanted BGC-823 tumors. Another study also reported that the effect of HSYA on tumor capillary angiogenesis may be one of the mechanisms underlying its antineoplastic effect (11).…”

Comparative Pharmacokinetics of Hydrophilic Components in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. and Carthamus tinctorius L. in Rats That Underwent Cerebral Ischemia Reperfusion Using an HPLC-DAD Method

“…Danshensu (DSS), salvianolic acid A (SAA), and salvianolic acid B (SAB) are the main hydrophilic components of Danshen (Figure 1) (Li et al, 2018c). Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is a bioactive component of the dried flower of Honghua ( Figure 1) (Hui et al, 2018). Studies have shown that DSS, SAA, SAB, and HSYA have therapeutic effects on cardiovascular and CVDs, through anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative activities, etc (Fan et al, 2017;Feng et al, 2017;Xu et al, 2017;Sun et al, 2018).…”