CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/398,351, filed August 16, 2022, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety .

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This invention was made with government support under CSREES Award # 2011-38821- 30928 awarded by the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA). The government has certain rights in this invention.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to Scutellaria extracts and uses thereof.

BACKGROUND

Obesity affects virtually all age and socioeconomic groups and threatens to overwhelm both developed and developing countnes. In 1995, there were an estimated 200 million obese adults worldwide and another 18 million under-five children classified as overweight. In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 650 million were obese. A major cause and indication of obesity is an accumulation of adipose (fat) tissue, which in turn is caused by an increase in the number and size of adipocytes. Adipocytes differentiate from pre-adipocytic cells due to enhanced intracellular storage of fats in lipid droplets. What is needed is a composition and method for treating obesity, reducing body fat gain and/or reducing body fat in a subject. The compositions and methods disclosed herein address these and other needs.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Figures 1 A-l C show that Scutellaria Ocmulgee Leaf (SocL) extract inhibits white adipogenesis without significantly inhibiting the proliferation of the pre-adipocyte 3T3-L1 cells. Figure 1A shows representative figures of 3T3-L1 cell culture in the absence (control) or presence of SocL extract (500 pg/ml). Figure IB shows quantitative measurement of the oil-red uptake by differentiated cells after solubilization of the stain in 2-isopropanol. Figure 1C shows proliferation/survival of 3T3-L1 cells in the presence of SocL extract, as determined by WST-1 dye conversion assay. *p > 0.05 versus vehicle control.

Figure 2 shows that SocL extract inhibits insulin-induced phosphorylation of GSK-3P in 3T3-L1 cells. Treatment with insulin induced phosphorylation of the intracellular signaling molecule GSK-3 in 3T3-L1 cells, which is significantly inhibited by SocL extract as early as 6h after treatment and the inhibition persists until 48h (upper panel). Total GSK-3P (middle panel) and P-actin (lower panel) are controls for unphosphorylated (total) protein and house-keeping protein, respectively.

SUMMARY

Provided herein is a method of reducing body fat and/or body fat gain in a subject in need thereof that includes administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of an extract of Scutellaria ocmulgee, wherein the extract comprises wogonin. In some aspects, the extract is obtained from a Scutellaria ocmulgee leaf, a Scutellaria ocmulgee stem, or a Scutellaria ocmulgee root. In some aspects, the extract is obtained from a Scutellaria ocmulgee leaf.

In some aspects, the extract can be obtained by contacting Scutellaria ocmulgee with a mixture of methanol and water. In some aspects, the ratio of methanol and water is between about 60:40 and 95:5. In some aspects, the ratio of methanol and water is about 80:20.

In some embodiments, the concentration of wogonin in the extract is at least 0. 1 pg/mg.

Administration of the extract of Scutellaria ocmulgee reduces adipogenesis in the subject, in some embodiments. In other or further embodiments, administration of the extract of Scutellaria ocmulgee reduces phosphorylation of GSK-3P in a cell in the subject. Accordingly, the subject can be obese or overweight prior to the administration.

In some embodiments, the subject’s body mass index (BMI) is reduced after the administration. In other or further embodiments, the subject’s body fat percentage is reduced after the administration. In some embodiments, the subject’s weight is reduced after the administration, whereas in other embodiments, the subject’s weight is maintained after the administration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure shows that Scutellaria Ocmulgee leaf (SoCL) extracts significantly inhibit adipocyte differentiation as indicated by reduced accumulation of lipid droplets in the cells. This is a novel finding and indicates that SocL extract has an application in weight reduction and the treatment or prevention of obesity.

Terms used throughout this application are to be construed with ordinary and typical meaning to those of ordinary skill in the art. However, Applicants desire that the following terms be given the particular definition as provided below.

Terminology

As used in the specification and claims, the singular form "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, the term "a cell" includes a plurality of cells, including mixtures thereof.

The term “about” as used herein when referring to a measurable value such as an amount, a percentage, and the like, is meant to encompass variations of ±20%, ±10%, ±5%, or ±1% from the measurable value.

“Adipocyte” refers to a cell specialized for the storage of fat. Adipocytes include white adipocytes, brown adipocytes and beige adipocytes. In some embodiments, the adipocyte is a white adipocyte.

As used herein, the word “adipogenesis” refers to the formation of adipocytes from precursor stem cells via differentiation of the precursor stem cells.

“Administration” to a subject includes any route of introducing or delivering to a subject an agent. Administration can be carried out by any suitable route, including oral, topical, intravenous, subcutaneous, transcutaneous, transdermal, intramuscular, intra-joint, parenteral, intra-arteriole, intradermal, intraventricular, intracranial, intraperitoneal, intralesional, intranasal, rectal, vaginal, by inhalation, via an implanted reservoir, or via a transdermal patch, and the like. Administration includes self-administration and the administration by another.

As used here, the terms “beneficial agent” and “active agent” are used interchangeably herein to refer to a chemical compound or composition that has a beneficial biological effect. Beneficial biological effects include both therapeutic effects, i.e., treatment of a disorder or other undesirable physiological condition, and prophylactic effects, i.e., prevention of a disorder or other undesirable physiological condition. The terms also encompass pharmaceutically acceptable, pharmacologically active derivatives of beneficial agents specifically mentioned herein, including, but not limited to, salts, esters, amides, prodrugs, active metabolites, isomers, fragments, analogs, and the like. When the terms “beneficial agent” or “active agent” are used, then, or when a particular agent is specifically identified, it is to be understood that the term includes the agent per se as well as pharmaceutically acceptable, pharmacologically active salts, esters, amides, prodrugs, conjugates, active metabolites, isomers, fragments, analogs, etc.

The term “biocompatible" generally refers to a material and any metabolites or degradation products thereof that are generally non-toxic to the recipient and do not cause significant adverse effects to the subject.

As used herein “body fat” refers to fat or lipid stores in a subject’s body.

The term “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is used synonymously with the term “including” and variations thereof and are open, non-limiting terms. Although the terms “comprising” and “including” have been used herein to describe various embodiments, the terms “consisting essentially of’ and “consisting of’ can be used in place of “comprising” and “including” to provide for more specific embodiments and are also disclosed.

The term “composition” refers to any agent that has a beneficial biological effect. Beneficial biological effects include both therapeutic effects, e.g., treatment of a disorder or other undesirable physiological condition, and prophylactic effects, e.g., prevention of a disorder or other undesirable physiological condition. The terms also encompass pharmaceutically acceptable, pharmacologically active derivatives of beneficial agents specifically mentioned herein, including, but not limited to, a vector, polynucleotide, cells, salts, esters, amides, proagents, active metabolites, isomers, fragments, analogs, and the like. When the term “composition” is used, then, or when a particular composition is specifically identified, it is to be understood that the term includes the composition per se as well as pharmaceutically acceptable, pharmacologically active vector, polynucleotide, salts, esters, amides, proagents, conjugates, active metabolites, isomers, fragments, analogs, etc.

Contacting: Placement in direct physical association, for example solid, liquid or gaseous forms. Contacting includes, for example, direct physical association of fully- and partially- solvated molecules.

A “control” is an alternative subject or sample used in an experiment for comparison purposes. A control can be "positive" or "negative."

By the term “effective amount” of a therapeutic agent is meant a nontoxic but sufficient amount of a beneficial agent to provide the desired effect. The amount of beneficial agent that is “effective” will vary from subject to subject, depending on the age and general condition of the subject, the particular beneficial agent or agents, and the like. Thus, it is not always possible to specify an exact “effective amount.” However, an appropriate “effective” amount in any subject case may be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art using routine experimentation. Also, as used herein, and unless specifically stated otherwise, an “effective amount” of a beneficial can also refer to an amount covering both therapeutically effective amounts and prophylactically effective amounts.

"Inhibit", "inhibiting," and "inhibition" mean to decrease an activity, response, condition, disease, or other biological parameter. This can include but is not limited to the complete ablation of the activity, response, condition, or disease. This may also include, for example, a 10% reduction in the activity, response, condition, or disease as compared to the native or control level. Thus, the reduction can be a 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100%, or any amount of reduction in between as compared to native or control levels.

“Inhibitors” of expression or of activity are used to refer to inhibitory molecules, respectively, identified using in vitro and in vivo assays for expression or activity of a described target protein, e.g., ligands, antagonists, and their homologs and mimetics. Inhibitors are agents that, e.g., inhibit expression or bind to, partially or totally block stimulation or protease activity, decrease, prevent, delay activation, inactivate, desensitize, or down regulate the activity of the described target protein, e.g., antagonists. A control sample (untreated with inhibitors) are assigned a relative activity value of 100%. Inhibition of a described target protein is achieved when the activity value relative to the control is about 80%, optionally 50% or 25, 10%, 5% or 1%.

As used herein, “obese” and “obesity” refer to a subject having a body mass index of 30.0 or higher. “Overweight” refers to a subject having a body mass index of 25.0 to 30.0.

"Pharmaceutically acceptable" component can refer to a component that is not biologically or otherwise undesirable, i.e., the component may be incorporated into a pharmaceutical formulation of the invention and administered to a subject as described herein without causing significant undesirable biological effects or interacting in a deleterious manner with any of the other components of the formulation in which it is contained. When used in reference to administration to a human, the term generally implies the component has met the required standards of toxicological and manufacturing testing or that it is included on the Inactive Ingredient Guide prepared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

"Pharmaceutically acceptable carrier" (sometimes referred to as a “carrier”) means a carrier or excipient that is useful in preparing a pharmaceutical or therapeutic composition that is generally safe and non-toxic, and includes a earner that is acceptable for veterinary and/or human pharmaceutical or therapeutic use. The terms "carrier" or "pharmaceutically acceptable carrier" can include, but are not limited to, phosphate buffered saline solution, water, emulsions (such as an oil/water or water/oil emulsion) and/or various types of wetting agents.

As used herein, the term “carrier” encompasses any excipient, diluent, fdler, salt, buffer, stabilizer, solubilizer, lipid, stabilizer, or other material well known in the art for use in pharmaceutical formulations. The choice of a earner for use in a composition will depend upon the intended route of administration for the composition. The preparation of pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and formulations containing these materials is described in, e.g., Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 21st Edition, ed. University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, PA, 2005. Examples of physiologically acceptable carriers include saline, glycerol, DMSO, buffers such as phosphate buffers, citrate buffer, and buffers with other organic acids; antioxidants including ascorbic acid; low molecular weight (less than about 10 residues) polypeptides; proteins, such as serum albumin, gelatin, or immunoglobulins; hydrophilic polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone; amino acids such as glycine, glutamine, asparagine, arginine or lysine; monosaccharides, disaccharides, and other carbohydrates including glucose, mannose, or dextrins; chelating agents such as EDTA; sugar alcohols such as mannitol or sorbitol; salt-forming counterions such as sodium; and/or nonionic surfactants such as TWEEN™ (ICI, Inc.; Bridgewater, New Jersey), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and PLURONICS™ (BASF; Florham Park, NJ). To provide for the administration of such dosages for the desired therapeutic treatment, compositions disclosed herein can advantageously comprise between about 0.1% and 99% by weight of the total of one or more of the subject compounds based on the weight of the total composition including carrier or diluent.

Also, as used herein, the term “pharmacologically active” (or simply “active”), as in a “pharmacologically active” derivative or analog, can refer to a derivative or analog (e g., a salt, ester, amide, conjugate, metabolite, isomer, fragment, etc.) having the same type of pharmacological activity as the parent compound and approximately equivalent in degree.

The term “subject” is defined herein to include animals such as mammals, including, but not limited to, primates (e.g., humans), cows, sheep, goats, horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, mice and the like. In some embodiments, the subject is a human.

The terms “treat,” “treating,” “treatment,” and grammatical variations thereof as used herein, include partially or completely delaying, alleviating, mitigating or reducing the intensity of one or more attendant symptoms of a disorder or condition and/or alleviating, mitigating or impeding one or more causes of a disorder or condition. Treatments according to the invention may be applied preventively, palliatively or remedially. Treatments can be administered to a subject prior to onset (e g., before obvious signs of obesity), during early onset (e g., upon initial signs and symptoms of obesity), or after an established development of a disease or disorder (e.g., obesity). Prophylactic administration can occur for several days to years prior to the manifestation of symptoms of a disease or disorder.

“Therapeutic agent” refers to any composition that has a beneficial biological effect. Beneficial biological effects include both therapeutic effects, e.g., treatment of a disorder or other undesirable physiological condition, and prophylactic effects, e.g., prevention of a disorder or other undesirable physiological condition. The terms also encompass pharmaceutically acceptable, pharmacologically active derivatives of beneficial agents specifically mentioned herein, including, but not limited to, salts, esters, amides, proagents, active metabolites, isomers, fragments, analogs, and the like. When the terms “therapeutic agent” is used, then, or when a particular agent is specifically identified, it is to be understood that the term includes the agent per se as well as pharmaceutically acceptable, pharmacologically active salts, esters, amides, proagents, conjugates, active metabolites, isomers, fragments, analogs, etc.

“Therapeutically effective amount” or “therapeutically effective dose” of a composition (e.g., a composition comprising an agent) refers to an amount that is effective to achieve a desired therapeutic result. Therapeutically effective amounts of a given therapeutic agent will typically vary with respect to factors such as the type and severity of the disorder or disease being treated and the age, gender, and weight of the subject. The term can also refer to an amount of a therapeutic agent, or a rate of delivery of a therapeutic agent (e.g., amount over time), effective to facilitate a desired therapeutic effect, such as a reduced number of adipocytes in a subject. The precise desired therapeutic effect will vary according to the condition to be treated, the tolerance of the subject, the agent and/or agent formulation to be administered (e g., the potency of the therapeutic agent, the concentration of agent in the formulation, and the like), and a variety of other factors that are appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art. In some instances, a desired biological or medical response is achieved following administration of multiple dosages of the composition to the subject over a period of days, weeks, or years.

Compositions and Methods

Disclosed herein is a method of reducing body fat gain in a subject in need, comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of an extract of Scutellaria (for example, Scutellaria Ocmulgee), wherein the extract comprises flavonoid wogonin and terpenoids. The extract of Scutellaria has surprising effects of reducing formation of new adipocytes in the subject. Tn some embodiments, the compositions and methods reduce the weight and/or BMI of a subject in need. In some embodiments, the methods treat obesity in a subject in need.

Scutellaria is a member of the mint family which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as well as in Native American folk medicine. Scutellaria family members are also known as skullcaps. The species of Scutellaria include, for example, Scutellaria baicalensis, Scutellaria barbata, Scutellaria alpina, Scutellaria angulosa, Scutellaria costaricana, Scutellaria integrifolia, Scutellaria lateriflora, Scutellaria montana, Scutellaria ocmulgee, Scutellaria ovata, Scutellaria racemosa, Scutellaria scandens, and Scutellaria suffrutescens . Accordingly, the method disclosed herein comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of an extract of Scutellaria, wherein the extract is obtained from a species of Scutellaria selected from the group consisting of Scutellaria ocmulgee, Scutellaria baicalensis, Scutellaria barbata, Scutellaria alpina, Scutellaria angulosa, Scutellaria costaricana, Scutellaria integrifolia, Scutellaria lateriflora, Scutellaria montana, Scutellaria ocmulgee, Scutellaria ovata, Scutellaria racemosa, Scutellaria scandens, and Scutellaria suffrutescens . In some embodiments, the extract is obtained from Scutellaria ocmulgee.

As used herein, the term “extract” refers to a solid, viscid, or liquid substance or preparation that includes one or more active agents of a plant. Extraction of medicinal plants is a process of separating certain ingredients that possess biological activities, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes, saponins, steroids, and glycosides from inert or inactive material using an appropriate solvent and standard extraction procedure. The ingredients of interest are then solubilized and contained within the solvent. In some examples, the extract is obtained by contacting any part (e g., leaf) or combination parts of Scutellaria ocmulgee with a mixture of methanol and water. In some embodiments, the extract is obtained by contacting any part (e g., leaf) or combination parts of Scutellaria ocmulgee with a mixture of methanol and water, wherein the ratio of methanol and water in the mixture is about 80:20. In some embodiments, the extract is obtained by contacting any part (e.g., leaf) or combination parts of Scutellaria ocmulgee using the methods described herein.

In some embodiments, the ratio of methanol and water (methanol: water) is between about 60:40 and 95:5, about 70:30 and 90:10, about 75:25 and 85: 15, or about 78:22 and 82: 18. In some embodiments, the ratio of methanol and water (methanol: water) is about 80:20. The part or combination parts of the Scutellaria Ocmulgee plant is contacted with the methanol and water mixture is for about 1 to 60 minutes, about 5 to 30 minutes, about 10 to 20 minutes, or about 5 to 10 minutes. Tn some embodiments the part or combination parts of the Scutellaria Ocmulgee plant is contacted with the methanol and water mixture for about 5 to 10 minutes. In some embodiments, the part or combination parts of the Scutellaria Ocmulgee plant is contacted with the methanol and water mixture at a temperature of between about 50 and 200 °C. In other or further embodiments, the part or combination parts of the Scutellaria Ocmulgee plant is contacted with the methanol and water mixture at a pressure of about 500 to 3000 psi. In certain aspects, the part or combination parts of the Scutellaria Ocmulgee plant is contacted with the methanol and water mixture for about 5 to 10 minutes, at a temperature of between about 50 and 200 °C, and at a pressure of about 500 to 3000 psi.

The extract of Scutellaria (e g., Scutellaria ocmulgee) can be derived from any part, or combination parts, of the Scutellaria plant, including, but not limited to, the root, leaf, fruit, flower, vine, and stalk. In some embodiments, the extract is obtained from a Scutellaria leaf, a Scutellaria stem, or a Scutellaria root. In some embodiments, the extract is obtained from a Scutellaria ocmulgee leaf, a Scutellaria ocmulgee stem, or a Scutellaria ocmulgee root. In some embodiments, the extract is obtained from the Scutellaria ocmulgee leaf. The active agents obtained from Scutellaria (e.g., Scutellaria ocmulgee) include, but not limited to, apigenin, baicalein, baicalin, chrysin, scutellarein, and/or wogonin. In some examples, the extract of Scutellaria ocmulgee comprises one or more active agents, including, for example, wogonin and/or chrysin. In some examples, the extract of Scutellaria ocmulgee leaf or Scutellaria ocmulgee stem comprises wogonin. In some examples, the extract of Scutellaria ocmulgee root comprises wogonin and/or chrysin having the below chemical structures. wogonin chrysin

In some embodiments, the wogonin and chrysin compounds described herein include tautomers and other isomers, such as retainers, as if each is specifically described, unless otherwise indicated or otherwise excluded by context.

Also disclosed herein are pharmaceutically-acceptable salts and prodrugs of the disclosed wogonin and chrysin compounds. Pharmaceutically-acceptable salts include salts of the disclosed compounds that are prepared with acids or bases, depending on the particular substituents found on the compounds. Under conditions where the compounds disclosed herein are sufficiently basic or acidic to form stable nontoxic acid or base salts, administration of the compounds as salts can be appropriate. Examples of pharmaceutically-acceptable base addition salts include sodium, potassium, calcium, ammonium, or magnesium salt. Examples of physiologically-acceptable acid addition salts include hydrochloric, hydrobromic, nitric, phosphoric, carbonic, sulphuric, and organic acids like acetic, propionic, benzoic, succinic, fumaric, mandelic, oxalic, citric, tartaric, malonic, ascorbic, alpha-ketoglutaric, alphaglycophosphoric, maleic, tosyl acid, methanesulfonic, and the like. Thus, disclosed herein are the hydrochloride, nitrate, phosphate, carbonate, bicarbonate, sulfate, acetate, propionate, benzoate, succinate, fumarate, mandelate, oxalate, citrate, tartarate, malonate, ascorbate, alphaketoglutarate, alpha-glycophosphate, maleate, tosylate, and mesylate salts. Pharmaceutically acceptable salts of a compound can be obtained using standard procedures well know n in the art, for example, by reacting a sufficiently basic compound such as an amine with a suitable acid affording a physiologically acceptable anion. Alkali metal (for example, sodium, potassium or lithium) or alkaline earth metal (for example calcium) salts of carboxylic acids can also be made.

The present disclosure also includes wogonin and chrysin compounds with at least one desired isotopic substitution of an atom, at an amount above the natural abundance of the isotope, i.e., enriched. Examples of isotopes that can be incorporated into compounds of the present disclosure include isotopes of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen, such as ² H, ³ H, ⁿ C, ¹³ C, ¹⁷ O, and ¹⁸ O, respectively. In one embodiment, isotopically labeled compounds can be used in metabolic studies (with ¹⁴ C), reaction kinetic studies (with, for example ² H or ³ H), detection or imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET) or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) including drug and substrate tissue distribution assays, or in radioactive treatment of patients. In particular, an ¹⁸ F labeled compound (such as by replacing a hydrogen with ¹⁸ F) may be particularly desirable for PET or SPECT studies. Isotopically labeled compounds of this invention and prodrugs thereof can generally be prepared by carrying out the procedures disclosed herein by substituting a readily available isotopically labeled reagent for a non-isotopically labeled reagent.

By way of general example and without limitation, isotopes of hydrogen, for example deuterium ( ² H) and tritium ( ³ H) may optionally be used anywhere in described structures that achieves the desired result. Alternatively or in addition, isotopes of carbon, e g., ¹³ C and ¹⁴ C, may be used. In one embodiment, the isotopic substitution is replacing hydrogen with a deuterium at one or more locations on the molecule to improve the performance of the molecule as a drug, for example, the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, half-life, stability, AUC, Tmax, Cmax, etc. For example, the deuterium can be bound to carbon in allocation of bond breakage during metabolism (an alpha-deuterium kinetic isotope effect) or next to or near the site of bond breakage (a beta-deuterium kinetic isotope effect).

Isotopic substitutions, for example deuterium substitutions, can be partial or complete. Partial deutenum substitution means that at least one hydrogen is substituted with deuterium. In certain embodiments, the isotope is 80, 85, 90, 95, or 99% or more enriched in an isotope at any location of interest. In some embodiments, deuterium is 80, 85, 90, 95, or 99% enriched at a desired location. Unless otherwise stated, the enrichment at any point is above natural abundance, and in an embodiment is enough to alter a detectable property of the compounds as a drug in a human.

The wogonin and chrysin compounds of the present disclosure may form a solvate with solvents (including water). Therefore, in one embodiment, the invention includes a solvated form of the active wogonin and/or chrysin compound. The term “solvate” refers to a molecular complex of a compound of the present invention (including a salt thereof) with one or more solvent molecules. Non-limiting examples of solvents are water, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetone and other common organic solvents. The term “hydrate” refers to a molecular complex comprising a disclosed compound and water. Pharmaceutically acceptable solvates in accordance with the invention include those wherein the solvent of crystallization may be isotopically substituted, e g., D2O, de-acetone, or de-DMSO. A solvate can be in a liquid or solid form. A “prodrug” as used herein means a wogonin or chrysin compound which when administered to a host in vivo is converted into a parent drug. As used herein, the term “parent drug” means the presently described compound herein. Prodrugs can be used to achieve any desired effect, including to enhance properties of the parent drug or to improve the pharmaceutic or pharmacokinetic properties of the parent, including to increase the half-life of the drug in vivo. Prodrug strategies provide choices in modulating the conditions for in vivo generation of the parent drug. Non-limiting examples of prodrug strategies include covalent attachment of removable groups, or removable portions of groups, for example, but not limited to, acylating, phosphorylation, phosphonylation, phosphorarmdate derivatives, amidation, reduction, oxidation, esterification, alkylation, other carboxy derivatives, sulfoxy or sulfone derivatives, carbonylation, or anhydrides, among others. In certain embodiments, the prodrug renders the parent compound more lipophilic. In certain embodiments, a prodrug can be provided that has several prodrug moieties in a linear, branched, or cyclic manner. For example, non-limiting embodiments include the use of a divalent linker moiety such as a dicarboxylic acid, amino acid, diamine, hydroxy carboxylic acid, hydroxyamine, di-hydroxy compound, or other compound that has at least two functional groups that can link the parent compound with another prodrug moiety, and is typically biodegradable in vivo. In some embodiments, 2, 3, 4, or 5 prodrug biodegradable moieties are covalently bound in a sequence, branched, or cyclic fashion to the parent compound. Non-limiting examples of prodrugs according to the present disclosure are formed with: a hydroxyl group on the parent drug and a carboxylic acid on the prodrug moiety to form an ester; a hydroxyl on the parent drug and a hydroxylated prodrug moiety to form an ester; a hydroxyl on the parent drug and a phosphonate on the prodrug to form a phosphonate ester; a hydroxyl on the parent drug and a phosphoric acid prodrug moiety to form a phosphate ester; a hydroxyl on the parent drug and a prodrug of the structure HO-(CH2)2-O-(C'2-24 alkyl) to form an ether; a hydroxyl on the parent drug and a prodrug of the structure HO-(CH2)2-S-(C2-24 alkyl) to form an thioether; and a hydroxyl on the parent compound and a prodrug moiety that is a biodegradable polymer or oligomer including but not limited to polylactic acid, polylactide-co- glycolide, polyglycolide, polyethylene glycol, polyanhydride, polyester, polyamide, or a peptide.

In some embodiments, a prodrug is provided by attaching a natural or non-natural amino acid to an appropriate functional moiety on the parent wogonin and/or chrysin compound, for example, oxygen, usually in a manner such that the ammo acid is cleaved in vivo to provide the parent drug. The amino acid can be used alone or covalently linked (straight, branched or cyclic) to one or more other prodrug moieties to modify the parent drug to achieve the desired performance, such as increased half-life, lipophilicity, or other drug delivery or pharmacokinetic properties. The amino acid can be any compound with an amino group and a carboxylic acid, which includes an aliphatic amino acid, alkyl amino acid, aromatic amino acid, heteroaliphatic amino acid, heteroalkyl amino acid, heterocyclic amino acid, or heteroaryl amino acid.

As noted above, the present disclosure includes compositions and methods for reducing body fat and/or body fat gain in a subject in need, comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a Scutellaria extract comprising wogonin. In some embodiments, the methods reduce or inhibit an increase in the amount of body fat in a subject. In some embodiments, the subject maintains a same body fat percentage and/or BM1 over time following the administration of the Scutellaria extract. In some embodiments, the subject’s bodyfat percentage and/or BMI is reduced over time following the administration of the Scutellaria extract. In some embodiments, the subject’s body fat percentage is reduced by at least about 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19% or 20%. In some embodiments, the subject’s body fat percentage is reduced by about 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19% or 20%.In some embodiments, the subject’s body fat percentage is reduced by about 1% to 20%, 1-5%, 5%-10%, 10-15%, or 15-20%. In some embodiments, the subject’s body fat percentage is reduced by about 20%-25% or 20%-30%. In some embodiments, the subject’s BMI is reduced by a number of 1-10 or 1-5 over time following the administration of the Scutellaria extract. In some embodiments, the subject’s BMI is reduced by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10. In some embodiments, the amount of time is 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks or 4 weeks. In some embodiments, the amount of time is 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, 8 months, 9 months, 10 months, 1 1 months, or 12 months. In some embodiments the amount of time is 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years or 5 years. In some embodiments, the body fat is subcutaneous fat. In some embodiments, the body fat is visceral fat.

In some embodiments, the average number of adipocytes are maintained in the subject over time following the administration of the Scutellaria extract. In some embodiments, the average number of adipocytes are reduced in the subject over time following the administration of the Scutellaria extract. In some embodiments, there is a further treatment, prevention, reduction, and/or mitigation of an obesity associated disorder, including, for example, hypertension, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, or osteoarthritis. Accordingly, included herein is a method of treating obesity or reducing body fat gain in a subject in need, comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of an extract of Scutellaria ocmulgee, wherein the extract comprises wogonin. The concentration of wogonin in the extract may range from 0.001 pg/mg to 100 pg/mg, 0.01 pg/mg to 10 pg/mg, 0.05 pg/mg, to 5 pg/mg, 0.05 pg/mg to 1 pg/mg, 0.05 pg/mg to 0.5 pg/mg, or 0. 1 pg/mg to 0.5 pg/mg. In some embodiments, the concentration of wogonin in the extract is about 0.001 pg/mg, about 0.01 pg/mg, about 0.05 pg/mg, about 0.1 pg/mg, about 0.2 pg/mg, about 0.5 pg/mg, about 1 pg/mg, about 5 pg/mg, or about 10 pg/mg. In some embodiments, the extract further comprises chrysin. The concentration of chrysin in the extract may range from 0.001 pg/mg to 100 pg/mg, 0.01 pg/mg to 10 pg/mg, 0.05 pg/mg, to 5 pg/mg, 0.05 pg/mg to 1 pg/mg, 0.05 pg/mg to 0.5 pg/mg, or 0. 1 pg/mg to 0.5 pg/mg. In some embodiments, the concentration of chrysin in the extract is about 0.001 pg/mg, about 0.01 pg/mg, about 0.05 pg/mg, about 0.1 pg/mg, about 0.2 pg/mg, about 0.5 pg/mg, about 1 pg/mg, about 5 pg/mg, or about 10 pg/mg.

In some embodiments, the therapeutically effective amount of wogonin or chrysin typically vary from about 0.001 mg/kg body weight to about 1000 mg/kg body weight, from about 0.01 mg/kg body weight to about 750 mg/kg body weight, from about 100 mg/kg body weight to about 500 mg/kg body weight, from about 1 mg/kg body weight to about 250 mg/kg body weight, from about 10 mg/kg body weight to about 150 mg/kg body weight in one or more dose administrations daily, for one or several days (depending of course of the mode of administration and the factors discussed above). Other suitable dose ranges include 1 mg to 10,000 mg per day, 100 mg to 10,000 mg per day, 500 mg to 10,000 mg per day, and 500 mg to 1,000 mg per day. In some embodiments, the amount is less than 10,000 mg per day with a range of 750 mg to 9,000 mg per day.

As discussed above, “therapeutically effective amount” or “therapeutically effective dose” of a composition refers to an amount that is effective to achieve a desired therapeutic result. In some embodiments, a desired therapeutic result is inhibiting an increase in the amount of body fat in a subject. In some embodiments, a desired therapeutic result is a reduced amount of fat in a subject. In some embodiments, a desired therapeutic result is inhibiting an increase in the number of adipocytes in a subject. In some embodiments, a desired therapeutic result is a reduced number of adipocytes in a subject. In some embodiments, a desired therapeutic result is inhibiting an increase in the average adipocyte volume in a subject. In some embodiments, a desired therapeutic result is reducing the average adipocyte volume in a subject. In some embodiments, a desired therapeutic result is a reduction of the subject’s body mass index (BMI). Tn some embodiments, a desired therapeutic result is a treatment, prevention, reduction, and/or mitigation of an obesity associated disorder, including, for example, hypertension, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, or osteoarthritis. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the extract of Scutellaria (e.g., Scutellaria ocmulgee) inhibits an increase in or reduces the amount of adipocytes in the subject. In some embodiments, the extract of Scutellaria (e.g., Scutellaria ocmulgee) inhibits an increase in or reduces the body mass index (BMI) of the subject.

In some embodiments, the extract of Scutellaria (e.g., Scutellaria ocmulgee) described herein can inhibit or reduce adipogenesis. In some embodiments, the extract of Scutellaria (e.g., Scutellaria ocmulgee) described herein can inhibit phosphorylation of GSK-3|3 in a cell. In some embodiments, the cell is a pre-adipocyte.

“GSK-3P” refers herein to a polypeptide that, in humans, is encoded by the GSK3B gene. In some embodiments, the GSK3B polypeptide is that identified in one or more publicly available databases as follows: HGNC: 4617, NCBI Entrez Gene: 2932, Ensembl: ENSG00000082701, OMIM®: 605004, UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot: P49841. In some embodiments, the GSK-3P polypeptide comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or a polypeptide sequence having at or greater than about 80%, about 85%, about 90%, about 95%, or about 98% homology with SEQ ID NO: 1, or a polypeptide comprising a portion of SEQ ID NO: 1. The GSK-3P polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 may represent an immature or pre-processed form of mature GSK- 3P, and accordingly, included herein are mature or processed portions of the GSK-3P polypeptide in SEQ ID NO: 1.

Dosing frequency for the composition disclosed herein, includes, but is not limited to, at least once every 12 months, once every 1 1 months, once every 10 months, once every 9 months, once every 8 months, once every 7 months, once every 6 months, once every 5 months, once every 4 months, once every 3 months, once every two months, once every month; or at least once every three weeks, once every two weeks, once a week, twice a week, three times a week, four times a week, five times a week, six times a week, or daily. In some embodiments, the interval between each administration is less than about 4 months, less than about 3 months, less than about 2 months, less than about a month, less than about 3 weeks, less than about 2 weeks, or less than less than about a week, such as less than about any of 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 day. In some embodiments, the dosing frequency for the composition includes, but is not limited to, at least once a day, twice a day, or three times a day. In some embodiments, the interval between each administration is less than about 48 hours, 36 hours, 24 hours, 22 hours, 20 hours, 18 hours, 16 hours, 14 hours, 12 hours, 10 hours, 9 hours, 8 hours, or 7 hours. Tn some embodiments, the interval between each administration is less than about 24 hours, 22 hours, 20 hours, 18 hours, 16 hours, 14 hours, 12 hours, 10 hours, 9 hours, 8 hours, 7 hours, or 6 hours. In some embodiments, the interval between each administration is constant. For example, the administration can be carried out daily, every two days, every three days, every four days, every five days, or weekly. Administration can also be continuous and adjusted to maintaining a level of the compound within any desired and specified range.

EXAMPLES

The following examples are set forth below to illustrate the compositions, methods, and results according to the disclosed subject matter. These examples are not intended to be inclusive of all aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein, but rather to illustrate representative methods and results. These examples are not intended to exclude equivalents and variations of the present invention which are apparent to one skilled in the art.

EXAMPLE 1. Preparation and Characteristics of SocL extract.

Plants were cultivated in the greenhouse conditions to minimize batch-to-batch variation. New plants were established through root divisions in March that reach maturity in May and leaves were harvested before the onset of flowering. The leaves were dried with constant turning in shade at room temperature to remove about 80% moisture. The dried leaves were then finely ground and processed for methanol: water (80:20) extraction using an ASE apparatus (Dionex Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA). The extracts were concentrated under vacuum using a Savant SpeedVac. The extract has been characterized and tested for anti-cancer activity against U87- MG glioma cell line and wogonin was used as an internal standard as described previously (Parajuli et al., 2009; Parajuli et al., 2011). The flavonoid wogonin (purity 98%) was purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO). Wogonin was reconstituted in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and then diluted in appropriate media, as indicated. The final concentration of DMSO in the media for all experiments were <0.1%. Therefore, 0.1% DMSO was used in the Control media for all experiments.

EXAMPLE 2. Mouse pre-adipocyte cell line.

Differentiation of mouse pre-adipocyte cells (3T3-L1) into adipocytes has been used as an in vitro model of adipogenesis. 3T3-L1 cells (obtained from ATCC) were maintained in DMEM supplemented with 10% FCS and Anti bi otic/ anti mycotic (penicillin /streptomycin /fungizone, Invitrogen) at 37°C in 5% CO2.

EXAMPLE 3. Proliferation Assay

3T3-L1 cells were seeded in 96-well flat-bottom plates (2 xlO ⁴ cells/well) and cultured in the presence of varying doses of SocL extract. After incubation at 37°C for 3 days, cell viability was evaluated using the WST-1 assay kit (Clonetech Laboratories, Mountain View, CA) as per the manufacturer’s protocol. Cell viability /proliferation was expressed as a percent of vehicle control (cells cultured with DMSO alone). See Figure 1C.

EXAMPLE 4. Adipocyte Differentiation Assay

3T3-L1 cells were seeded in 6-well plate and cultured with DMEM+10% FCS till confluence. Two days post confluence, (designed as Day 0), the cells were stimulated with Adipocyte Induction Media (AIM - DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS and containing 0.5mM IBMX, I LIM dexamethasone and lOpg/mL insulin and lOpM rosiglitazone) [All reagents were obtained from Sigma]. Media with respective supplements were replaced every two days.

Ten days after start of differentiation induction, 3T3-L1 cell cultures were washed with PBS and incubated with 4% phosphate-buffered formaldehyde for 30min at RT for fixation. This was followed by staining with Oil Red O stain for 1 hour to visualize neutral lipid deposits in the cells under a phase-contrast, inverted microscope (Olympus). Relative intracellular lipid content was quantified by eluting Oil Red O-stained lipid with 100% isopropyl alcohol and measuring the absorbance at 570 nm using a microplate reader. See Figures 1 A and IB.

EXAMPLE 5. Intracellular (GSK-3P) activity (phosphorylation) analysis via western blot assay.

3T3-L1 cells were seeded in 6-well plates and cultured with Insulin and rosiglitazone in the presence of SocL (200 pg/ml) for various timepoints, as indicated. The cells were then lysed, 20-30 pg aliquots of total protein were electrophoresed, transferred onto a poly vinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane, and probed with anti-GSK30 and anti-phospho-GSK3p antibodies. Detection of HRP-conjugated secondary Abs was performed using SuperSignal (Pierce, Rockford, IL) and chemiluminescence was recorded using an Omega imaging sy stem (UltraLum Inc., Claremont, CA) as per manufacturer's instructions. P-actin was used as the loading control. The density of protein bands was quantified using TmageJ software. See Figure 2.

In summary, SocL extract significantly inhibited the process of adipogenesis in an in vitro model using the pre-adipocyte 3T3-L1 cells. The proliferation/survival of 3T3-L1 cells were however not significantly affected by SocL treatment.

SEQUENCES

SEQ ID NO: 1

MSGRPRTTSFAESCKPVQQPSAFGSMKVSRDKDGSKVTTVVATPGQGPDRPQEVSYT D TKVIGNGSFGVVYQAKLCDSGELVAIKKVLQDKRFKNRELQIMRKLDHCNIVRLRYFFY

S S GEKKDEVYLNLVLDYVPETVYRV ARHYSRAKQTLPVIYVKLYMYQLFRSL AYIHSF

GICHRDIKPQNLLLDPDTAVLKLCDFGSAKQLVRGEPNVSYICSRYYRAPELIFGAT DYT

SSIDVWSAGCVLAELLLGQPIFPGDSGVDQLVEIIKVLGTPTREQIREMNPNYTEFK FPQI

KAHPWTKVFRPRTPPEA1ALCSRLLEYTPTARLTPLEACAHSFFDELRDPNVKLPNG RDT PALFNFTTQELSSNPPLATILIPPHARIQAAASTPTNATAASDANTGDRGQTNNAASASA S

NST