Scutebarbatine W can inhibit nitric oxide production efficiently with IC50 values of lower than 50 μM, it may have potential effects on the reduction of neuroinflammation.

The arial parts of Scutellaria barbata D. Don (Lamiaceae) efficiently inhibited NO production in BV2 microglial cells, and the active constituents were further isolated based on activity-guided isolation using silica-gel column chromatography, RP-C18 MPLC and prep-HPLC. As the results, 2 flavonoids including 6-methoxynaringenin (1) and 6-O-methylscutellarein (5), and 6 neo-clerodane diterpenes such as Scutebarbatine W (2), scutebatas B (3), scutebarbatine B (4), scutebarbatine A (6), 6-O-nicotinolylscutebarbatine G (7) and Scutebarbatine X (8) were isolated. The structures of these compounds were elucidated based on NMR and MS data, and the comparison of literature values.