Wogonoside: Chemistry, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics

Wogonoside (WGD) is a naturally occurring flavone glucuronide predominantly isolated from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis, a traditional medicinal plant widely used in East Asian medicine. In recent years, increasing attention has been directed toward WGD due to its diverse pharmacological activities. This review first provides a comprehensive overview of its natural occurrence, biosynthesis, pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism. Biosynthetically, WGD was formed through a specialized branch of the phenylpropanoid-flavonoid pathway. WGD exhibited a broad spectrum of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, nephroprotective, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and bone-protective effects. These pharmacological actions are mainly associated with the modulation of multiple signaling pathways related to oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, and cell proliferation, such as PI3K/Akt/mTOR, NF-κB, MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin, and Nrf2 pathways. Pharmacokinetic studies indicated that WGD can be absorbed and distributed in vivo, although its systemic exposure may vary depending on physiological conditions and herbal formulations. The compound may also undergo metabolic transformation, including hydrolysis and glucuronidation. Further investigations focusing on pharmacokinetics, bioavailability improvement, and clinical evaluation are necessary to explore its therapeutic potential fully.