Screening of Antidepressant Effects of Four Main Flavonoids Compounds from Scutellaria baicalensis

Objective:To screen antidepressant activity of baicalin,baicalein,wogonoside and wogonin,the flavonoids from Scutellaria baicalensis.Method: Male ICR mice were randomly divided into 10 groups:control group,fluoxetine group and baicalin,baicalein,wogonoside and wogonin groups.The treatment groups were received four flavonoids at dose of 10,20 mg·kg-1 and fluoxeine at 20 mg·kg-1 for 7 days respectively.Forced swimming test(FST),tail suspension test(TST) and open field test(OFT) were applied to evaluate antidepressant activity at 1 hour after the last administration.Result: Compared with control groups,the immobility time of FST mice was significantly shorten from(107.6±28.5) s to(64.4±25.1),(73.2±30.8),(69.6±20.4),(79.7±32.6) s,following treatment at dose of 20 mg·kg-1,with baicalin,baicalein,wogonoside and wogonin.Moreover,the immobility time of TST mice was also significantly shorten from(85.2±27.3) s to(43.1±16.4),(52.0±21.1),(48.3±25.9),(62.2±35.8) s,respectively.Particularly,the effects of baicalin and wogonoside were more obvious.In addition,four flavonoids had no effect on spontaneous locomotor activity in mice.Conclusion: Our results suggest that all of four flavonoids compouds from S.baicalensis exhibit antidepressant activity.Moreover,the roles of baicalin and wogonoside were more visible than baicalein and wogonin,which may be relate to the different metabolic processes of these compouds.