Baicalin as an emerging magical nutraceutical molecule: Emphasis on pharmacological properties and advances in pharmaceutical delivery

Baicalin is a natural flavonoid isolated from the roots of the medicinal plant Scutellaria baicalensis, which has been widely used in China since ancient times. It exhibits many beneficial effects on human health including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antioxidant activities. Therefore, it can be used alone or as an adjuvant with other drugs in the treatment of a variety of diseases. Despite its pharmacological merits, baicalin suffers from several pharmacokinetic limitations, including hydrolysis in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and first pass metabolism, in addition to its poor aqueous solubility. As an approach to overcome these challenges and increase the bioavailability of baicalin, several nanocarriers were introduced to enhance its solubilization and absorption. This review presents an overview on the pharmacological activities of baicalin, and describes in details the different nanocarriers that were reported for its delivery via different routes of administration to date.