2. Regulation of ion transport in rat and human colonic epithelia: cellular actions of major flavonoids derived from Scutellariae Radix

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Scutellariae Radix (黃芩) and Coptidis Rhizoma (黃連) derived compounds have been frequently used for gastroenteritis and secretory diarrhoea since both belong to the same group of herb that "clear heat and dry dampness" (清熱燥濕). Indeed, Huanglin-Tang (黃芩湯) is a famous decoction from Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Disease (傷寒論), which was used to treat dysentery and diarrhoea. Therefore, it would be logical to expect that Scutellaria Radix would be an anti-secretory agent although there is no solid, scientific data to support this notion.

Our pilot studies, however, suggested that the total extract of Scutellariae Radix and the three major flavonoids derived from this herb are pro-secretory. The purposes of this study is to investigate whether the major flavonoids derived from Scutellariae Radix cause chloride secretion in rat and human colonic epithelia and examine the mechanism of this response using microspectrofluorimetric and electrophysiological approaches.

This work is made possible by awards from the Direct Grant of Research, CUHK and RGC Earmarked Grant.