Asian Journal
Of Traditional Medicines

Abstract: Scutellariae Radix, the dried root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the clinical treatment of a variety of diseases including stroke. Scutellaria flavonoids (SF) are the effective ingredients extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. Recent studies have shown that SF has protective effects against brain damage. In the present study, SF significantly prolonged the gasping time of decapitated mice and the survival time of the mice following bilateral carotid artery ligation, and improved the stroke symptoms in incompletely ischemic mice and mice with KCN-induced brain damage. SF could also significantly reduce the brain level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and increase the brain activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in cerebral ischemic mice. In addition, SF exhibited inhibitory effects on platelet aggregation. These results suggest that SF has a significant protective effect on cerebral ischemia and, as a free radical scavenger, it might be used to treat cerebral ischemic damage or stroke associated with free radical assault.

Key words: Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, scutellaria flavonoids, cerebral ischemia, MDA, SOD