A Study on the Transformation of Baicalin or Antibacterial, Antitumor Effect of the Active Ingredients in Scutellariae Radix

Scutellariae Radix has been widely used as oriental herbal medicine for the treatment of bacterial infections in the respiratory or the gastrointestinal tract. In partition experiment for better understanding of herbal medicine with various solvents, baicalein or wogonin have more hydrophobic characteristics than baicalin or wogonoside. Unexpectedly, methylene chloride could extract more for baicalin or wogonoside over other active ingredients. New compound from baicalin is discovered casting frointier area on herbal medicine in the future. Application study with new molecule hydrolyzed from baicalin is on the way for better treatment of the patient against specific disease. The baicalin modified with reaction has been shown weak antibacterial activity against Streptococcus pyogenes 308A and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 1771. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the baicalin modified compound against those strains were about $600\;{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. In vitro antitumor experiment, $EC_{50}$ of baicalin modified with reaction was more than $300\;{\mu}g/mL$ and $EC_{50}$ of baicalein was $100\;{\mu}g/mL$. Among these compounds, baicalin exhibited high level of antitumor activity. $EC_{50}$ of baicalin was less than $33.3\;{\mu}g/mL$.