Tanshinone IIA (Tan-IIA) is derived from the dried roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, a traditional Chinese medicine. Although Salvia miltiorrhiza has been applied for many years, the toxicity of the mono-constituent of Salvia miltiorrhiza, tanshinone IIA, is still little studied. This study evaluated the cardiotoxicity and developmental malformations of Tan-IIA by using zebrafish normal embryos and dechorionated embryos. After treatment with Tan-IIA in different concentration for 4 days

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... s, it is observed obvious pericardial edema, spinal curvature, and even tail missing in zebrafish embryos. The LC50 values in dechorionated embryo group at 72 hours post-fertilization (hpf) and 96 hpf were 18.5 μM and 12.8 μM, respectively, and the teratogenicity was manifested at the concentration about 1 µ M. The main endpoints of teratogenicity were scoliosis, malformation of tail, and pericardium edema. Our finding displayed the potential cardiotoxicity and severe impact on the abnormal development of Tan-IIA in zebrafish embryo at high concentration, which would help avoid the risk of its clinical application.