Efficacy confirmation of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi in the treatment of periodontitis via topical administration and active ingredients screening.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Periodontal disease is a complex inflammatory disease that seriously affects peoples' lives. Scutellaria radix (SR) is traditionally used as a folk medicine to clear away heat and dampness, purge fire and detoxification. Although it has been extensively used as a medicinal plant to treat a variety of inflammatory illnesses, the efficacy and active ingredient for topical administration in the treatment of periodontitis is unknown.

Aim Of Study: The aim of this study was to screen and validate the active ingredients in SR for the prevention and treatment of periodontitis.

Materials And Methods: A ligature-induced periodontitis in rats was used to investigate the efficacy of topical administration of SR for the treatment of periodontitis, and the active fraction was screened after separation of the aqueous extract of SR into fractions of different polarities using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cell model. Chromatographic fingerprints were established for 18 batches of SR by high performance liquid chromatography. The potential active components were screened using spectral effect relationship analysis and the target cell extraction method.

Results: SR has good efficacy in the topical treatment of periodontitis, according to animal experiments. Five active ingredients were screened out and their anti-inflammatory activity was confirmed in vitro.

Conclusion: The main active compounds in the treatment of periodontitis via topical administration of SR were found and this provides an experimental basis for further studies on the pharmacodynamic material basis of SR, as well as reference for the comprehensive evaluation of SR quality and the development of substitute resources.