Determination of dopamine and its relativity of baicalin in rat nuclei after intravenous administration of flavonoids from Scutellariae radix.

Baicalin is an active component of Scutellariae radix extracts. It can cross the blood-brain barrier and distribute in cerebral nuclei. However, its mechanism and the effects on the nuclei where it accumulates remain unclear. We used an HPLC-electrochemical detection method to determine the dopamine in cerebral nuclei after intravenous administration of flavonoids from Scutellariae radix and analyzed the relativity between baicalin and DA in cerebral nuclei. We found that the dopamine system is another target system of brain function which baicalin acts on. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.