Most noteworthy is the ability of tanshinone IIA to decrease the levels of multiple inflammatory factors associated with the progression of atherosclerosis, such as CRP, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), CD40, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)10,11. Here, TNF is linked to atherosclerosis.