Progress in Pharmacokinetic Researches of Baicalein
黄芩素药代动力学研究进展

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, included in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, has been long used as a traditional Chinese medicinal material, which contains many kinds of flavonoids compounds, and baicalein is one of the main active components. Here, we present the recent reviews of pharmacokinetics of baicalein in vivo, and find out that:it has good absorption in gastrointestinal tract and distributes mainly in liver, kidney, lung and other vital organs and tissues; the main metabolites of baicalein in rat are the compounds of baicalein with glucuronic acid, which can be transported to gut lumen by bile and intestine mucous membrane, and can be reabsorbed. The concentration of the unchanged drug in plasma is very low after oral administration of baicalein. At present, the research on pharmacokinetics of baicalein is mainly achieved indirectly by determining baicalin, which suggests that baicalein may substitute for baicalin in oral preparation.