Background/Aim: Inflammatory cytokines is a key point in the development of pathogenesis of SAP. Inflammatory mediators TNF-alpha and IL-6 are up-regulated in serum of patients with SAP and become good discriminators of SAP severity. Materials and methods: In this study, we investigated the treatment effectiveness of Baicalein on SAP rat model. Baicalein was intravenously injected immediately after SAP induction in rats. The mortality, histopathology score, ascites fluid volume, and pro-inflammatory cytokine production were evaluated at 12 h after SAP induction. Results: Baicalein decreased the pancreatic histopathology score, reduced ascites fluid production, protected against pancreatic injury, and improved survival in rats with SAP. The serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha concentrations were also down-regulated by Baicalein. Conclusion: Baicalein demonstrated a well curative capability on rats with SAP. The mechanism may be alleviateing pancreatic injury and inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines expression. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.