Abstract
The naphthoquinone shikonin is the main active principle of Zicao, a
traditional Chinese herbal medicine made from the dried root of
Lithospermum erythrorhizon. Studies carried out over the past 30
years have provided a scientific basis for the use of Zicao which has
been long employed in folk medicine to treat a variety of inflammatory and
infectious diseases. In particular, shikonin has been shown to possess many
diverse properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,
antithrombotic, antimicrobial, and wound healing effects. The fact that
shikonin shows so many beneficial properties has increased the interest in
this molecule dramatically, especially in the past few years. The aim of
this review is to provide an update of the new data published on shikonin,
whose wide spectrum of pharmacological effects as well as pharmacokinetic
properties and toxicity make it a highly interesting target molecule.
Key words
anti-infectious - anti-inflammatory - antioxidant - glucose metabolism - wound healing
- shikonin -
Lithospermum erythrorhizon
- Boraginaceae