ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2007) — Severe acute pancreatitis is a fatal systemic disease featuring acute onset, serious conditions, high incidence of complications and 20 percent-30 percent of mortality mainly due to multiple organ failure at its early stage. A research group in Hangzhou, China found that the Baicalin, main effective ingredient of Baical skullcap root, has played a protective role on renal injury of rats with SAP.

'Qingyitang' a representative prescription of Traditional Chinese Medicine for severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) was widely used in the orients countries. But its real pharmacological mechanisms of protective effects on SAP have not been investigated still now.

Baicalin, the most effective monomer of Baical skullcap root (an essential Traditional Chinese Medicine of 'Qingyitang'), which have been proved a protective effects on renal injury of rats with SAP.

It has been confirmed that Baicalin has anti-bacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro. It also can inhibit platelet aggregation and eliminate oxygen-free radicals. Animal experiments show that Baicalin could reduce the generation of endotoxin. In addition, Baicalin has potent effect in inhibiting pancreatin which is the initial metabolite of Baicalin. All these pharmacologic actions can inhibit SAP during its multiple stages.

The research team led by Dr. Zhang Xiping from the first people's hospital of Hangzhou and second affiliated hospital of Zhejiang university spent more than five years working with experimental SAP of rats by the intravenous injection of Baicalin treatment. With the large dosage of baicalin treatment, the rats' survival rate, renal function indexes, renal gross changes and lightmicroscopic changes and its severity scores was greatly improved in end. The article clarified that the therapeutic mechanisms might be related to the inhibition of inflammatory mediators and induction of renal cells apoptosis by the application of tissue microarray technique.

Compared with the Octreotide, the most effective drug in the treatment of SAP, the large dosage Baicalin has equally effective as octreotide in terms of reduction of renal pathological alterations of rats with SAP. But for Octreotide, It is difficult to popularize especially in remote areas with poor economy since it features high price, short half-life and inconvenient administration, while Baicalin features low price, extensive routes of administration and preparation, multiple pharmacologic actions and precise therapeutic effects.

So the Baicalin might be a promising therapeutic medicines in the treatment of SAP despite there are still many works to be done future.

The research was recently published on October 14 issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology .

Reference: Zhang XP, Tian H, Lai YH, Chen L, Zhang L, Cheng QH, Yan W, Li Y, Li QY, He Q, Wang F. Protective effects and mechanisms of Baicalin and octreotide on renal injury of rats with severe acute pancreatitis. World J Gastroenterol 2007; 13(38): 5079-5089

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