Two major urinary metabolites of scutellarin in rats.

Urinary metabolites of scutellarin, the main effective constituent of breviscapine, a cerebrovascular and cardiovascular drug consisting of total flavonoids of Erigeron breviscapus, were investigated in rats. Two major metabolites were isolated from the urine of rats following oral administration of scutellarin and identified as scutellarein 6,7-di-O-beta-D-glucuronide (M1) and scutellarein (M2), respectively, on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence. M1 was reported as a metabolite of scutellarin for the first time.