As baicalin is a flavone

glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycoside ...

, it is a flavonoid. It is the

glucuronide A glucuronide, also known as glucuronoside, is any substance produced by linking glucuronic acid to another substance via a glycosidic bond. The glucuronides belong to the glycosides. Glucuronidation, the conversion of chemical compounds to glucu ...

baicalein Baicalein (5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone) is a flavone, a type of flavonoid, originally isolated from the roots of '' Scutellaria baicalensis'' and '' Scutellaria lateriflora''. It is also reported in '' Oroxylum indicum'' (Indian trumpetflower) and '' ...

Natural occurrences

Baicalin is found in several species in the genus ''Scutellaria'', including ''

Scutellaria baicalensis ''Scutellaria baicalensis'', with the common name Baikal skullcap or Chinese skullcap, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. Distribution The plant is native to China, Korea, Mongolia, and Russia in the Russian Far East and Si ...

'', and '' Scutellaria lateriflora''. There are 10 mg/g baicalin in '' Scutellaria galericulata'' leaves.P.H. and Horhammer, L., Hager's Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, Vols. 2-6, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1969-1979 It is also present in the

bark isolate Bark isolates are chemicals which have been extracted from bark. Prominent medical examples are salicylic acid (active metabolite of aspirin) and paclitaxel Paclitaxel (PTX), sold under the brand name Taxol among others, is a chemotherapy me ...

of the '' Oroxylum indicum'' tree.

Medical uses

Baicalin is one of the chemical ingredients of at least two herbal supplements: Shuanghuanglian and Sho-Saiko-To, which is a Chinese classic herbal formula, and listed in Japan as Kampo medicine. Baicalin, along with its

aglycone An aglycone (aglycon or genin) is the compound remaining after the glycosyl group on a glycoside is replaced by a hydrogen atom. For example, the aglycone of a cardiac glycoside would be a steroid molecule. Detection A way to identify aglycone ...

baicalein, is a

positive allosteric modulator In pharmacology and biochemistry, allosteric modulators are a group of substances that bind to a receptor to change that receptor's response to stimulus. Some of them, like benzodiazepines, are drugs. The site that an allosteric modulator binds to ...

of the

benzodiazepine site The GABAA receptor (GABAAR) is an ionotropic receptor and ligand-gated ion channel. Its endogenous ligand is γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Upon opening, the GABAA receptor o ...

and/or a non-benzodiazepine site of the GABA_A receptor. In mice, baicalin produces

anxiolytic An anxiolytic (; also antipanic or antianxiety agent) is a medication or other intervention that reduces anxiety. This effect is in contrast to anxiogenic agents which increase anxiety. Anxiolytic medications are used for the treatment of anxiet ...

effects without sedative or

myorelaxant A muscle relaxant is a drug that affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. It may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. The term "muscle relaxant" is used to refer to two major therapeu ...

effects. It is thought that baicalin, along with other flavonoids, may underlie the anxiolytic effects of ''S. baicalensis'' and ''S. lateriflora''. Baicalin is a known prolyl endopeptidase inhibitor. It induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells.

References

{{GABAAR PAMs Anxiolytics Flavone glycosides Flavonoid glucuronides Glucuronide esters GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators