Wogonin is an ''O''-methylated flavone, a flavonoid-like chemical compound which is found in ''

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 ...

''. The

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 glycosides. ...

s of wogonin are known as wogonosides. For example, oroxindin is a wogonin

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 ...

isolated from '' Oroxylum indicum''. It is one of the active ingredients of Sho-Saiko-To, a Japanese herbal supplement.

Pharmacology

Wogonin has been found in one study to have

anxiolytic An anxiolytic (; also antipanic or anti-anxiety 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 anxie ...

properties in mice at doses of 7.5 to 30 mg/kg, without exhibiting the sedative and muscle-relaxing properties of benzodiazepines. Preliminary ''

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning ''in glass'', or ''in the glass'') Research, studies are performed with Cell (biology), cells or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in ...

'' studies have shown pharmacological effects that indicate wogonin may have anti-tumor properties. Wogonin has also been found to possess

anticonvulsant Anticonvulsants (also known as antiepileptic drugs, antiseizure drugs, or anti-seizure medications (ASM)) are a diverse group of pharmacological agents used in the treatment of epileptic seizures. Anticonvulsants are also used in the treatme ...

effects. It acts as 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 stimuli. Some of them, like benzodiazepines or alcohol, function as psychoactive drugs. The site that ...

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. Accurate regulation of GABAergic tra ...

of the GABA_A receptor with a binding affinity of K_i 0.92 μM and an IC₅₀ value of 1.26 μM which is about 100 times less potent than

diazepam Diazepam, sold under the brand name Valium among others, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety disorder, anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndr ...

(IC₅₀ value of 0.012 μM). The of pure Wogonin in mice is 3.9 g/kg of body weight suggesting low toxicity. CNS review:

References

{{GABAAR PAMs O-methylated flavones Resorcinols Anxiolytics Anticonvulsants GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators

Pharmacology

See also

References