Organ-Specific Metabolic Shifts of Flavonoids in Scutellaria baicalensis at Different Growth and Development Stages

Abstract

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine mainly containing flavonoids that contribute to its bioactivities. In this study, the distributions and dynamic changes of flavonoid levels in various organs of S. baicalensis at different development stages were investigated by UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS and HPLC-DAD methods. The results indicated that the metabolic profiles of S. baicalensis changed with growth and development. During the initial germination stage, the seeds mainly contained flavonols. With growth, the main kinds of flavonoids in S. baicalensis changed from flavonols to flavanones and flavones. The results also revealed that the accumulation of flavonoids in S. baicalensis is organ-specific. The flavones without 4′-OH groups mainly accumulate in the root and the flavanones mainly accumulate in aerial organs. Dynamic accumulation analysis showed that the main flavonoids in the root of S. baicalensis accumulated rapidly before the full-bloom stage, then changed to a small extent. The results suggested the proper harvest time for the aerial parts was at the initial stage of reproductive growth and the flower buds should be collected before flowering. This study deepening the knowledge of S. baicalensis should provide valuable information for guiding the scientific cultivation of this plant and the development and utilization of S. baicalensis.

Growth years and post-harvest processing methods have critical roles on the contents of medicinal active ingredients of Scutellaria baicalensis

“…For S. baicalensis , its root gradually grows thicker, and the production of medicinal materials increases with cultivation years. However, the yield of active ingredients showed different regular patterns changing with growth years ( Xu et al, 2018 ). In this study, the contents of four main medicinal active ingredients (baicalin, wogonoside, baicalein, and wogonin) showed a changing trend of "V" type from 1-year-old to 15-year-old S. baicalensis , indicating that the contents of 2 or 3 growth years and 15 growth years were higher than those of 4 or 5 growth years.…”

Hwangryunhaedok-Tang Exerts Neuropreventive Effect on Memory Impairment by Reducing Cholinergic System Dysfunction and Inflammatory Response in a Vascular Dementia Rat Model

“…HRT comprises four medicinal herbs: Phellodendri Cortex, Scutellariae Radix, Coptidis Rhizoma, and Gardeniae Fructus. The main ingredients of HRT are benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (e.g., coptisine, palmatine, and berberine) from Coptidis Rhizoma and Phellodendri Cortex [34,35], flavonoids (e.g., baicalin, baicalein, wogonin, and wogonoside) from Scutellariae Radix [36], and iridoid glycoside (e.g., geniposide and geniposidic acid) from Gardeniae Fructus [37]. We conducted simultaneous determinations of the seven components (geniposide, baicalin, baicalein, wogonin, coptisine, palmatine, and berberine) in EHRT using an HPLC photodiode array (PDA) method.…”

Aqueous extract of Kan-Lu-Hsiao-Tu-Tan ameliorates collagen-induced arthritis in mice by regulating immune and inflammatory responses

“…To identify the constituents of KLHTT, MRM experiments were conducted. The speci c mass fragmentations were compared with previous references [28][29][30][31][32][33][34], and eight avonoids were identi ed: chrysin 6-Carabinoside-8-C-glucoside 1 (Fig. 1B) (Table 1).…”