Comparison of antioxidant effects of various Scutellaria baicalensis fractions and the potential role of catalase upregulation

The Use of Chinese Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) and Its Extracts for Sustainable Animal Production

Simple Summary

With the increasing pressure to address the problems of bacterial resistance and drug residues, medicinal herbs are gradually taking a more important role in animal production. Scutellaria baicalensis is a common and widely used Chinese medicinal herb. The main bioactive compounds in the plant are baicalein and baicalin. These compounds have many biological functions including anti-oxidation, antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and antitumor effects. S. baicalensis and its extracts can effectively promote animal growth, improve the production performance of dairy cows, reduce the stress and inflammatory response, and have effective therapeutic effects on diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and other pathogenic microorganisms. This paper summarizes the biological function of S. baicalensis and its application in sustainable animal production to provide a reference for future application of S. baicalensis and other medicinal herbs in animal production and disease treatment.

Abstract

Drugs have been widely adopted in animal production. However, drug residues and bacterial resistance are a worldwide issue, and thus the most important organizations (FAO, USDA, EU, and EFSA) have limited or banned the use of some drugs and the use of antibiotics as growth promoters. Natural products such as medicinal herbs are unlikely to cause bacterial resistance and have no chemical residues. With these advantages, medicinal herbs have long been used to treat animal diseases and improve animal performance. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the study of medicinal herbs. S. baicalensis is a herb with a high medicinal value. The main active compounds are baicalin and baicalein. They may act as antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic, antimicrobial, and antitumor agents. They also possess characteristics of being safe, purely natural, and not prone to drug resistance. S. baicalensis and its extracts can effectively promote the production performance of livestock and treat many animal diseases, such as mastitis. In this review, we summarize the active compounds, biological functions, and applications of S. baicalensis in the production of livestock and provide a guideline for the application of natural medicines in the production and treatment of diseases.

Analysis of the antioxidative function of the radioprotective Japanese traditional (Kampo) medicine, hangeshashinto, in an aqueous phase

Oral mucositis (OM) is a common and painful complication of radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Hangeshashinto (HST), a Japanese traditional medicine, is known to alleviate radiotherapy- and/or chemotherapy-induced OM; however, the detailed mechanism has not yet been clarified. The aim of the present study was to clarify the details of the antioxidative functions of HST against reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by radiation. The hydroxyl radical (•OH)-scavenging ability and the reduction ability was simultaneously measured using a modified electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin-trapping method. The superoxide (O(2) (•-))-scavenging ability was estimated by an EPR redox probing method. Water suspensions of powdered HST and of its seven constitutive crude drugs were tested. In addition, some of the main water-soluble ingredients of the crude drugs were also tested. HST was found to scavenge both •OH and O(2) (•-). Furthermore, HST was observed to reduce relatively stable nitroxyl radicals. Glycyrrhizae Radix (kanzo), Ginseng Radix (ninjin), Zizyphi Fructus (taiso) and glycyrrhizin (an ingredient of kanzo) were all found to be relatively good •OH scavengers. Scutellariae Radix (ogon) and Coptidis Rhizoma (oren) demonstrated reducing ability. In addition, acteoside and berberine chloride, which are water-soluble ingredients of ogon and oren, respectively, also demonstrated reducing ability. Oren exhibited oxidative ability at higher concentrations, which may have a function in maintaining catalytic redox action. The antioxidative function of HST probably worked via a balance of scavenging ROS, reducing stable free radicals, and some minor oxidizing activities.

Comparative Chemical and Statistical Analysis of Cultivated and Wild Radix Scutellariae

Radix Scutellariae has been widely used to hasten the process of heat clearing and dampness drying in traditional Chinese medicine. The resource of wild Radix Scutellariae is scarce; an increasing amount of cultivated Radix Scutellariae has become available in the market. To determine the clinical effects of Radix Scutellariae, we conducted a comparative analysis of the chemical compositions of cultivated and wild Radix Scutellariae. An HPLC fingerprint method was developed to determine simultaneously the amounts of baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin, which have been identified as active compounds in Radix Scutellariae. Chinese pharmacopoeia methodology was also applied to measure the ethanolic extract content of the wild and cultivated samples. Although the cultivated and wild Radix Scutellariae have similar concentrations of baicalein and wogonin, the concentrations of baicalin and ethanolic extracts are higher in the cultivated samples (i.e., 15.14% ± 1.11% and 56.90% ± 2.83%, respectively, compared to 11.17% ± 1.11%, and 44.16% ± 2.02%, respectively, in the wild Radix Scutellariae). Data from fingerprint analysis were statistically analyzed using the decision tree and hierarchical cluster methods. The study was carried out with 58 samples. Thus, the current study provides significant guidelines for distinguishing cultivated and wild Radix Scutellariae.

Botanical flavonoids on coronary heart disease

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is one of the leading causes of death in Western countries. Prevention rather than treatment of heart disease can significantly improve patients' quality of life and reduce health care costs. Flavonoids are widely distributed in vegetables, fruits and herbal medicines. Regularly consuming botanicals, especially those containing flavonoids, has been associated with a reduction in cardiovascualar disease; thus, it is important to investigate how flavonoids improve cardiac resistance to heart disease and their related mechanisms of action. It has been shown that cardiomyocyte injury and death can result from ischemia-reperfusion, which is pathognomonic of ischemic heart disease. Massive reactive oxygen species (ROS) release at the onset of reperfusion produces cell injury and death. "Programming" the heart to either generate less ROS or to increase strategic ROS removal could reduce reperfusion response. Additionally, profuse nitric oxide (NO) release at reperfusion could be protective in "preconditioning" models. Botanical flavonoids induce preconditioning of the heart, thereby protecting against ischemia-reperfusion injury. In this article, we will discuss two herbs containing potent flavonoids, Scutellaria baicalensis and grape seed proanthocyanidin, which can potentially offer cardiac protection against ischemic heart disease.