Anti-Hepatitis B Virus Effects of Wogonin Isolated from Scutellaria baicalensis

Abstract

By using an HBV-producing cell line (MS-G2) in vitro culture system, we found that wogonin isolated from Scutellaria baicalensis can suppress HBV surface antigen production (P < 0.001) without evidence of cytotoxicity. By assaying the endogenous HBV DNA polymerase activity, we found that both the relaxed circular and the linear forms of HBV DNA are significantly reduced in the wogonin-treated group. Wogonin deserves to be further evaluated for the treatment of human HBV infection.

Key words

Human hepatitis B virus - HBsAg - HBeAg - endogenous polymerase activity - Scutellaria baicalensis - Labiatae - wogonin - baicalein - baicalin

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