REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Preparation, immunological and pharmacological effects of flavonoids in Scutellariae Radix: a review
Provisionally accepted
Haixia Chen1,2Yumin Wei3
Jing Song4Yue Yang1,2Yanli Chen1,2Jiteng Sun1,2
Daoming Bai1Zhiqiang Sun1,4Mingze Wu4Xiaomei Liu4Yanru Lin4
Shaoping Wang2
Long Dai5*
Yanan Li1*- 1Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- 2Binzhou Medical University - Yantai Campus, Yantai, China
- 3Shandong Hanfang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Jinan, China
- 4Shandong Yuze Pharmaceutical Industry Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd., Dezhou, China
- 5Binzhou Medical University-Yantai Campus, Yantai, China
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In traditional Chinese medicine theory, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi [Lamiaceae;Scutellariae radix] (SR) is bitter and cold in nature. It enters the lung, gallbladder, spleen, large intestine, and small intestine meridians. It clears heat and dries dampness, purges fire and detoxifies, stops bleeding, and stabilizes pregnancy. It excels at clearing lung fire and upper-body heat. Flavonoids, the primary active compound of SR, undergo metabolism in vivo through Phase I and Phase II reactions as well as intestinal flora-mediated processes. Modern pharmacological research indicates that flavonoid compounds exhibit diverse biological activities in immune modulation, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antitumor effects. In recent years, novel formulations such as nanomedicines and liposomes have garnered increasing attention to enhance their stability and bioavailability. This review systematically summarizes the research progress on flavonoid compounds in SR, comprehensively elaborating on their phytochemistry, extraction methods, separation and purification techniques, in vivo metabolism, immunological and pharmacological effects, toxicity, and novel dosage forms. It provides theoretical foundations and practical references for the further research, development, and rational application of these compounds.
Keywords: Flavonoids, Immunological and pharmacological effects, In vivo metabolism, New dosage forms, Scutellariae Radix, targeted therapy
Received: 27 Oct 2025; Accepted: 12 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Wei, Song, Yang, Chen, Sun, Bai, Sun, Wu, Liu, Lin, Wang, Dai and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Long Dai
Yanan Li
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