Zhu Qing-Jun
School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ji'nan 250355, China.
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2017 Apr;42(7):1271-1276. doi: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20170224.018.
Tissue and organ fibrosis is the major cause for disability and death related to a variety of diseases worldwide. As specific therapies to halt, or even to reverse the existing tissue fibrosis are not yet available, it is of great significance to find new anti-fibrosis therapeutic agents. Tissue and organ fibrosis is a nonphysiological scarring process, associated with excessive deposition of extracellular matrix, and leads to impairment of organ function. Fibrotic lesions of all organs show similar histological abnormalities. In recent years, plenty of studies showed that Baicalin and baicalein had anti-fibrosis effects in different tissues or organs. In this paper, the effects and mechanisms of baicalin and baicalein on different organ fibrosis were reviewed. Baicalin and its aglycone baicalein had similarity in structural and pharmacological characteristics, with broad biotransformation effect within the body. The research suggested that baicalin and baicalein can suppress different tissue and organ fibrosis occurrence and development via various mechanisms, including down-regulating expression of promote-fibrosis cytokines, inhibiting pro-fibrogenic signaling pathways, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. Though baicalin and baicalein are promising anti-fibrosis agents, there is still a long way to go before being approved as specific anti-fibrotic drugs.
组织和器官纤维化是全球范围内与多种疾病相关的致残和死亡的主要原因。由于目前尚无阻止甚至逆转现有组织纤维化的特异性疗法，因此寻找新的抗纤维化治疗药物具有重要意义。组织和器官纤维化是一种非生理性瘢痕形成过程，与细胞外基质的过度沉积有关，并导致器官功能受损。所有器官的纤维化病变都表现出相似的组织学异常。近年来，大量研究表明黄芩苷和黄芩素在不同组织或器官中具有抗纤维化作用。本文综述了黄芩苷和黄芩素对不同器官纤维化的作用及机制。黄芩苷及其苷元黄芩素在结构和药理特性上具有相似性，在体内具有广泛的生物转化作用。研究表明，黄芩苷和黄芩素可通过多种机制抑制不同组织和器官纤维化的发生和发展，包括下调促纤维化细胞因子的表达、抑制促纤维化信号通路、抗炎和抗氧化作用。尽管黄芩苷和黄芩素是很有前景的抗纤维化药物，但在被批准为特异性抗纤维化药物之前仍有很长的路要走。
