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

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.

Development and Evaluation of Thermosensitive Hydrogels with Binary Mixture of Scutellariae baicalensis radix Extract and Chitosan for Periodontal Diseases Treatment

“…Plant species play a vital role in inhibiting pathogen growth and invading gingival tissue [ 15 , 99 ]. S. baicalensis radix [ 100 , 101 ] and chitosan [ 30 , 31 , 102 , 103 ] are well-known antimicrobial and antifungal agents. The antimicrobial activity of lyophilized extract and binary mixtures was evaluated according to their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against various pathogens: four species of Gram-positive bacteria ( Staphylococcus aureus , S. epidermidis , Streptococcus mutans , Actinomyces naeslundii ), three Gram-negative bacteria ( Escherichia coli , Proteus mirabilis , Prevotella intermedia ), and two species of yeast-like fungi ( Candida albicans, C. tropicalis ).…”

Shedding a New Light on Skin Aging, Iron- and Redox-Homeostasis and Emerging Natural Antioxidants

“…These falavonoids possess strong AO and iron-chelating properties capable of inhibiting the LI-promoted Fenton chemistry via a range of mechanisms in cancer, bacterial infections, sunlight exposure and oxidative stress diseases [307][308][309][310][311][312]. Their properties also encompass antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antimicrobial, anti-senescence/-photoaging, immunomodulatory, antimutagenic, anticancer and antitumour effects [313][314][315][316][317]. Baicalein also exhibits remarkable anti-ferroptotic activity in normal and cancer cells, with inhibitory effects comparable to that of desferrioxamine mesylate, a clinical iron chelator and a known inhibitor of ferroptosis [318,319].…”

Phytochemical Profiling and Bio-Potentiality of Genus Scutellaria: Biomedical Approach

“…Some species of the genus Scutellaria have the appreciable capacity to assuage pain locally which was further authenticated by the study of Shah et al [ 5 , 10 ] using various fractions and n-Hexane extracted oils of S. edelbergii. The screening presented by [ 129 ] also reflected that the species of the selected genus can allay pain. The Baicalin from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis ( S. baicalensis ) and (+)-catechin from the heartwoods of Acacia catechu ( A. catechu ) have been used in both over-the-counter joint care dietary supplements and a portion of prescription medical food.…”