Studies on inhibitors of skin tumor promotion. XI. Inhibitory effects of flavonoids from Scutellaria baicalensis on Epstein-Barr virus activation and their anti-tumor-promoting activities.

To search for possible anti-tumor-promoters, fourteen flavones obtained from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis were examined for their inhibitory effects on the Epstein-Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) activation by a short-term in vitro assay. Among these flavones, 5,7,2'-trihydroxy- and 5,7,2',3'-tetrahydroxyflavone showed remarkable inhibitory effects on the EBV-EA activation, and the effect of the latter on Raji cell cycle was also examined by flow cytometer. These two flavones exhibited remarkable inhibitory effects on mouse skin tumor promotion in an in vivo two-stage carcinogenesis test.