Absorption enhancement of polypeptide drugs by cyclodextrins. I. Enhanced rectal absorption of insulin from hollow-type suppositories containing insulin and cyclodextrins in rabbits.

The absorption of insulin (from porcine pancreas) from the rectum of rabbits after the administration of hollow-type suppositories containing insulin and five kinds of cyclodextrins (CyDs) was investigated. Three types of suppositories were employed: suppository I containing insulin (approximately 26 IU/mg) and various amounts of each CyD in citric buffer solution at pH 3.0 or powder in its cavity, suppository II containing CyD without insulin, and suppository III containing insulin without CyD. Without CyD, the insulin and glucose levels in plasma were unchanged, whereas a significant increase in the plasma insulin concentration and a marked decrease in the glucose levels were found following simultaneous administration of insulin and CyDs by suppository I. The enhancing effect of CyD on rectal insulin absorption (absorption-enhancing effect) by chemically modified CyDs (heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-CyD (DM-beta-CyD) and 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-CyD (HP-beta-CyD)) was higher than those by natural CyDs (alpha-, beta-, and gamma-CyD). The area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and Cmax of insulin significantly decreased with the preadministration (administration of CyD 6, 24 and 48 h before rectal insulin administration) of DM-beta-CyD. The absorption-enhancing effect disappeared 24 h after preadministration. These results suggest that CyDs enhance insulin absorption from the rectum, and that attenuation of the membrane transport barrier function in the rectum recovers at a maximum of 24 h after administration of CyDs.     

Enhancing effect of cyclodextrins on nasal absorption of insulin and its duration in rabbits.

The absorption of insulin (from porcine pancreas) in rabbits after the nasal administration of aqueous preparations containing insulin and five kinds of cyclodextrins (CyDs) in phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.0 was investigated. Without CyD, the insulin and glucose levels in plasma were unchanged, whereas a marked increase in the plasma levels of insulin and a decrease in glucose concentrations were observed following the simultaneous administration of insulin and CyD such as alpha- and heptakis (2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-CyD (DM-beta-CyD). The largest enhancing effect on the nasal absorption of insulin was obtained by DM-beta-CyD. To evaluate the duration of the absorption-enhancing effect of CyDs, preadministration (administration of CyD 0.5, 6, 12 and 24 h before insulin administration) was performed. The area under plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and Cmax of insulin significantly decreased with the preadministration of DM-beta-CyD 6, 12 and 24 h before nasal administration. The absorption-enhancing effect disappeared 24h after the preadministration. These findings demonstrate that CyDs enhance the nasal absorption of insulin, and the recovery of the membrane transport barrier function in nasal mucosa is achieved, at the latest, 24 h after the administration of CyDs.     

Enhanced rectal absorption of insulin in rabbits from hollow-type suppositories containing insulin and glyceryl-1-monooctanoate.

The absorption of two kinds of insulin (from porcine or bovine pancreas) from the rectum of rabbits after the administration of hollow-type suppositories containing insulin and glyceryl-1-monooctanoate (GMO) as an absorption-enhancing agent was investigated. Two types of suppositories were employed: type I containing insulin in an aqueous solution (approx. 25 IU/mg/100 microliters citric buffer solution at pH 3.0) in the cavity of the suppository and GMO mixed with a base material (Witepsol H-15), and type II containing insulin in a crystalline form in the same amount as in type I. Without GMO, the insulin and glucose levels in plasma were unchanged, whereas a marked increase in the plasma levels of insulin and a decrease of glucose concentrations were found following coadministration of insulin and GMO by the type I suppository. Similar enhancement of rectal absorption of insulin was obtained from porcine and bovine sources. In the case of the crystalline insulin, despite the use of the same amount of GMO, porcine insulin was more efficiently absorbed than bovine insulin by the type II suppository. GMO enhances the absorption of insulin in an aqueous solution or a crystalline form, and the dissolution rate of insulin may be an important factor in the rectal absorption of insulin.     

Investigation of carrier-mediated anion co-transport through organic membranes by use of competitive transport experiments

Normal values of the parameters of insulin receptors in erythrocytes were provided to make a control group throughout gestation, 24 h postpartum and six weeks after delivery with the aim of comparing them with other parameters with insulin receptor-related pathologies. Thus, one of the purposes of this study was the update of a method to calculate the parameters of insulin receptors in erythrocytes, carrying out several modifications that improved the assay: during binding studies incubation was in continuous rotation shaking, and increasing maximal insulin binding. Other modifications were the increase in the concentration of insulin 125I to 1 ng/mL, and the maximal concentration of unlabeled insulin, 100 ng/mL. Erythrocyte age was considered by the intracellular creatine content providing control values and allowing the normalization of the parameters of insulin receptor during gestation. Data obtained in this study indicated that changes at receptor binding level may be also considered to explain insulin resistance: week 28 showed maximal insulin secretion (16.70+/-1.44 microU/mL) whereas plasma glucose concentrations remained almost constant (91.14+/-2.37 mg/100 mL) with respect to the 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy (89.73+/-1.38 and 91.71+/-2.10 mg/100 mL respectively); insulin reached the point of maximal resistance, which is explained by a decrease of maximum specific insulin binding, %Bo (6.32+/-0.51) at minimal values due to a decrease of high-affinity receptor number per erythrocyte, N-AA (16+/-2) at minimal values. Moreover, the negative correlation between progesterone (31.2+/-0.2 ng/mL) and Ka-AA (r=-0.71) could possibly be related to this maximal resistance.     

Intranasal administration of human fibroblast interferon in mice, rats, rabbits and dogs

In previous studies on the nasal administration of human fibroblast interferon (HuIFN-beta), only rabbits have been used. Therefore, this route was investigated in mice, rats, rabbits and dogs. HuIFN-beta could be delivered across the nasal mucosa in mice, rats, rabbits and dogs, when it was mixed with sodium glycocholate as an absorption promoter. However, the pattern of the plasma HuIFN-beta concentration-time curve was different from that in rabbits. Rabbits gave the highest value of the maximum plasma HuIFN-beta concentration (Cmax), but plasma HuIFN-beta declined rapidly thereafter, upon nasal administration of the powder dosage form (8.45 x 10(2) IU/g). In rats and dogs, Cmax was lower than in rabbits, but plasma HuIFN-beta declined slowly after nasal administration of the powder or liquid dosage form (4-6 x 10(2) IU/g). These differences might be attributed to differences of absorption rate constant.     

HPLC analysis and pharmacokinetics of icariin in rats

As a prerequisite to the determination of pharmacokinetic parameters of icariin in rats, an HPLC method using UV detection was developed and validated. Icariin and the internal standard, quercetin, were extracted from plasma samples using ethyl acetate after acidification with 0.05 mol/L NaH2PO4 solution (pH 5.0). Chromatographic separation was achieved on an Agilent XDB Cls column (250 x 4.6 mm id, 5 microm) equipped with a Shim-pack GVP-ODS C18 guard column (10 x 4.6 mm id, 5 microm) using a mobile phase of ACN/water/acetic acid (31:69:0.4 v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/ min. Detection was at 277 nm. The calibration curve was linear from 0.05 to 100.0 microg/mL with 0.05 microg/mL as the lower LOQ (LLOQ) in plasma. The intra- and interday precisions in terms of RSD were lower than 5.7 and 7.8% in rat plasma, respectively. The accuracy in terms of relative error (RE) ranged from -1.6 to 3.2%. The extraction recoveries of icariin and quercetin were 87.6 and 80.1%, respectively. The main pharmacokinetic parameters for rats were determined after a single intravenous administration of 10 mg/kg icariin: t1/2, 0.562 +/- 0.200 h; AUC0-infinity, 8.73 +/- 2.23 microg x h/mL; CLToT, 20.10 +/- 5.80 L/kg x h; Vz, 1.037 +/- 0.631 L/kg; MRT0-infinity, 0.134 +/- 0.040 h; and Vss, 0.170 +/- 0.097 L/kg.     

A solid phase extraction reversed-phase HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of methoprene, permethrin and selected metabolites in rat plasma and urine.

A method was validated and applied for the analysis of the insect growth regulator methoprene [Isopropyl (2E,4E)-11-methoxy-3,7,11-trimethyldodeca-2,4-dienoate], its metabolite methoprene acid, the insecticide permethrin [3-(2,2-dichloro-ethenyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid(3-phenoxyphenyl)methylester], and two of its metabolites, m-phenoxybenzyl alcohol and m-phenoxybenzoic acid, in rat plasma and urine using solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The analytes were separated using gradient of 55-100% acetonitrile in water (pH 4.0) at a flow rate ranging between 0.6 and 1.0 mL/min over a period of 20 min, and UV detection at 210 and 254 nm. The retention times ranged from 7.3 to 18.4 min. The limits of detection ranged between 50 and 100 ng/ml, while limits of quantitation were 100-150 ng/mL. Average percentage recovery of five spiked plasma samples was 83.6 +/- 3.9, 80.1 +/- 5.4, 82.1 +/- 4.4, 83.7 +/- 3.9 and 83.1 +/- 4.7, and from urine 79.3 +/- 4.3, 82.0 +/- 5.4, 80.7 +/- 4.2, 78.9 +/- 5.7 and 83.9 +/- 4.5 for methoprene, methoprene acid, permethrin, m-phenoxybenzyl alcohol and m-phenoxybenzoic acid, respectively. The method was linear and reproducible over the range of 100-1000 ng/mL. This method was applied to analyze the above chemicals and metabolites following their combined administration in rats.     

Percutaneous absorption of clonazepam in rabbit

The percutaneous (p.c.) absorption of clonazepam (CZP), an antiepileptic drug, was investigated in rabbits. CZP was efficiently absorbed from a gel ointment (0.5% CZP, 1g, 9 cm2) with Azone and therapeutic plasma concentrations were maintained for 27 h. The bioavailability of CZP from the gel ointment was 47.2 +/- 3.1%, which was significantly larger than that (3.3 +/- 0.5%) after the ointment without Azone or that (12.5 +/- 3.6%) after oral administration. About a half of CZP in the ointment with Azone was absorbed during a 24 h application. The maximum and minimum plasma concentrations and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve gradually increased during repeated application of the ointment (2% CZP, 0.25 g/d, 2.25 cm2), probably due to the accumulation of drug in the skin and body. The efficient absorption and sustained plasma concentration of CZP after application suggest that a once a day p.c. administration regimen is possible by using the ointment with Azone.     

Development of an HPLC method for the determination of salidroside in beagle dog plasma after administration of salidroside injection: application to a pharmacokinetics study

A simple RP-HPLC method was established for the determination of salidroside in dog plasma. Salidroside is one of the most active ingredients of Rhodiola L. The method had within-run precision values in the range of +/- 2.3 to +/- 9.1% (n = 5) and between-run precision in the range of +/- 3.2 to +/- 9.8%. A simple protein precipitation for salidroside extraction was processed using ACN at precipitant-to-plasma volume ratio (P-P ratio) of 3:2. The extraction recoveries of salidroside at seven concentrations were higher than 63.2%. There was a linear relationship between chromatographic area and concentration over the range of 0.83-520 microg/mL for salidroside in plasma (R = 0.9926). The LOQ (S/N = 10) of the method was 0.83 microg/mL. The method was applied in a study of the pharmacokinetics of salidroside injection in six beagle dogs. The major pharmacokinetic parameters of C(max), AUC(0-24), AUC(0-infinity), and t(1/2) of salidroside in beagle dogs after i.v. administration of a single 75 mg/kg (5 mL/kg) dose were 96.16 +/- 8.59 microg/mL, 180.3 +/- 30.6 microg h/mL, 189.3 +/- 32.1 microg h/mL, and 2.006 +/- 0.615 h, respectively.     

Venous thrombolysis by tissue-type plasminogen activator in conjunction with the urokinase-fibrinogen covalent conjugate

Conjunctive administration of the tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and the urokinase-fibrinogen covalent conjugate (UK-Fbg) was studied by the example of venous thrombosis in dogs. Comparing the effect of separate use of the two components, we observed the potentiation of thrombolytic effect induced by an iv bolus infusion administration of the tissue-type plasminogen activator (1 and 4 mg, respectively) combined with a bolus administration 15 min after the first injection of the 25,000 IU UK-Fbg. Faster-action and potentiation effects of thromboysis were observed with the same administration scheme when the t-PA was used as bolus infusion (1 and 1 mg, respectively) combined wiht a bolus of the 250,000 IU fibrinogen-modified urokinase. The findings indicate an approach to the development of efficient thrombolytic compositions.     

Effect of decrease in both postprandial blood glucose (PBG) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels in normal beagle dogs with nateglinide enteric coated granules and immediate release tablets

Nateglinide is a new quick action/short duration (QRSD) type of oral blood glucose regulator, and nateglinide immediate release tablets are used for patients with mild diabetes under the trade name of Fastic((R)) tablets. In this study, we attempted to determine if it was possible to control both post-prandial blood glucose level (PBG) and fasting blood glucose level (FBG) for moderate or severe diabetes through controlled release of nateglinide. Enteric coated granules were selected for the administration form for controlled release of nateglinide, and three types of enteric coated granules were prepared having dissolution pH values of 5.5, 6.5 and 7.2. The three types of enteric coated granules were each administered separately or the enteric coated granules having an dissolution pH of 6.5 were administered simultaneous to administration of nateglinide immediate release tablets to normal beagle dogs just before feeding followed by measurement of plasma nateglinide concentration, plasma insulin concentration and blood glucose level. In the case of administering enteric coated granules alone (nateglinide: 9 mg/kg), the absorption of nateglinide was confirmed to tend to be delayed as the dissolution pH increased. In the case of an dissolution pH of 5.5, decreases in both PBG and FBG were observed. In the case of dissolution pH values of 6.5 and 7.2, only decrease in FBG was observed. In case of nateglinide immediate release tablets (nateglinide: 9 mg/kg), only decrease in PBG was observed. Decreases in both PBG and FBG were observed in the case of simultaneous administration of dissolution pH 6.5 enteric coated granules and nateglinide immediate release tablets just before feeding (nateglinide: 90 mg/head+60 mg/head). A correlation was observed between plasma nateglinide concentrations and blood glucose levels. On the other hand, there were no correlations observed between changes in plasma insulin concentrations and blood glucose levels. In case of nateglinide immediate release tablets (nateglinide: 150 mg/head), Decreases in both PBG and FBG were observed. However, the nateglinide controlled release formulation is more useful than the nateglinide immediate release tablets from the view point of avoidance of side effect, or of easy control of both PBG and FBG. On the basis of these results, the design of a controlled release formulation that contains nateglinide was suggested to enable control of both PBG and FBG for moderate and severe diabetes patients.     

Effect of pulmonary surfactant and phospholipid hexadecanol tyloxapol on recombinant human-insulin absorption from intratracheally administered dry powders in diabetic rats

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the enhancement effect of the natural pulmonary surfactant (PS) or its artificial substitute, phospholipid hexadecanol tyloxapol (PHT) on the bioavailability and hypoglycemic activity of recombinant human insulin (rh-insulin) in a pulmonary delivery system. PS- or PHT-loaded insulin formulation was administered to streptozotocin induced diabetic rats, at doses of 5 U/kg, 10 U/kg and 20 U/kg insulin, respectively. The hypoglycemic effect caused by PS or PHT containing rh-insulin was analyzed and the area above the curves (AAC) of serum glucose levels versus time, the minimum glucose concentration (C(min)), the time to C(min) (T(min)) and the pharmacological availability (PA%) were derived from the serum glucose profiles. Results showed that PS and PHT caused significantly decrease in serum glucose levels. The decrease in plasma glucose levels continued for about 5 h after the nadir. The highest AAC value was obtained when 20 U/kg rh-insulin with PS or PHT as absorption enhancer was administered to rats. AAC(0-360 min) of PS- or PHT-loaded rh-insulin was 2-3 times as much as that without PS or PHT and PA% increased by 1.3-2 fold. Thus, the extent of oral absorption of insulin from PS- or PHT-loaded particles was significantly greater when compared with that without them. In addition, PHT as well as PS did not change the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity and N-acetyl-β-D-glucoaminidase (NAG) activity in bronch fluid which are sensitive indicators of acute toxicity to lung cells in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). It is concluded that PS and PHT is a promising absorption enhancer for pulmonary delivery systems of large molecule drugs as rh-insulin.     

An HPLC method for the determination and pharmacokinetic study of lehmannine in rat plasma

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for determining lehmannine (LMN) in rat plasma was developed for application in the pharmacokinetics study. The plasma was deproteinized with acetonitrile that contained an internal standard and was separated from the aqueous layer by adding sodium chloride. The HPLC assay was carried out using a VP-ODS column at 40 degrees C. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.02 mol/L ammonium acetate buffer-triethylamine (35:65:0.04, v/v/v). The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min. The detection wavelength was set at 220 nm. The method was used to determine the concentration-time profiles of LMN in the plasma following oral administration or bolus injection of LMN aqueous solution. The pharmacokinetic parameters of LMN were calculated for the first time by Drug and Statistics 1.0 program.     

Phospholipid deformable vesicles for buccal delivery of insulin

To investigate the possibility of the enhancing effect of deformable vesicles on buccal delivery of insulin, two kinds of vesicles with and without the presence of sodium deoxycholate (deformable vesicles and conventional vesicles) were prepared by reverse phase evaporation methods. The liposomal entrapment efficiency was determined by column chromatography. The particle size and morphology of the vesicles were also evaluated. The hypoglycemic effects, insulin concentrations, and residual amounts of insulin deposited in the buccal membrane after buccal administration of insulin vesicles to rabbits were investigated. Compared with subcutaneous administration of insulin solution, the relative pharmacological bioavailability and the relative bioavailability of buccal administration of insulin vesicles were determined. The results showed that the entrapment efficiencies of the deformable and conventional vesicles were 18.87+/-1.78% (n=3) and 22.07+/-2.16% (n=3), respectively. The particle sizes of the deformable and conventional vesicles were 42.5+/-20.5 nm and 59.7+/-33.8 nm, respectively. There were no significant differences in appearance between the two types of vesicle. Compared with subcutaneous administration of insulin solution, the relative pharmacological bioavailability and the relative bioavailability in the insulin-deformable vesicles group were 15.59% and 19.78%, respectively, which were higher than in the conventional insulin vesicles (p<0.05), blank deformable vesicles and insulin mixture groups (p<0.05). Deformable vesicles have an enhancing effect on buccal delivery of insulin and may be a better carrier than conventional vesicles for buccal delivery of protein drugs.     

Improved HPLC method for doxorubicin quantification in rat plasma to study the pharmacokinetics of micelle-encapsulated and liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin formulations

An improved simple, rapid and accurate HPLC method for quantification of doxorubicin derived from micelle-encapsulated or liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin formulation in rat plasma was described. The mobile phase consisting of a mixture of methanol-water [containing 0.1% formic acid anhydrous and 0.1% ammonia solution (25%), pH 3.0], 60:40, was delivered at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Sample preparation for micelle- or liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin in rat plasma were achieved directly by protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Doxorubicin and daunorubicin (internal standard, IS) were separated on a C(18) reversed-phase HPLC column and quantified by a fluoresence detection with an excitation wavelength of 475 nm and an emission wavelength of 580 nm. The linearity was obtained over the range of 5.0-1000.0 ng/mL and 1.0-200.0 microg/mL for doxorubicin and the lower limit of quantitation was 5.0 ng/mL. For each level of quality control samples, inter- and intra-assay precision was less than 9.6 and 5.1% (relative standard deviation), respectively, and percentage error was within +/-2.6%. The extraction recoveries of doxorubicin in the range of 10 ng/mL to 100 microg/mL in rat plasma were between 94.1 and 105.6%. This method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of doxorubicin formulations after i.v. administration to rats.     

Oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid by glucose oxidase in a membrane bioreactor

Glucose oxidase (GO) (EC 1.1.3.4) was used as catalyst for oxidizing glucose into gluconic acid utilizing a 10-mL Bioengineering Enzyme Membrane Reactor® or a 400-mL Millipore Stirred Ultrafiltration Cell (MSUC) coupled with a Millipore UF membrane (cutoff of 100 kDa) and operated for 12 h under an agitation of 100 rpm, pH 5.5, and 30°C. The effect of feeding rate (0.10, 0.15, or 0.20 min^?1), glucose (2.5 or 5.0 mM), and GO (1.0 or 2.0 mg/mL) concentrations on the catalysis were studied. A yield of about 75% was attained when the MSUC filled with 1.0 mg/mL of GO was fed with 2.5 mM glucose solution at a rate of 0.15 min^?1.     

Determination of insulin in humans with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients by HPLC with diode array detection

A simple and reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic method with diode array detection has been developed and validated for the determination of insulin in human plasma. A good chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.2M sodium sulfate (pH 2.4), 25:75 (v/v). Its flow rate was 1.2 mL/min. Calibration curve was linear within the concentration range of 0.15-25 μg/mL. Intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations for insulin in human plasma were less than 6.3 and 8.5%, respectively. The limits of detection and quantification of insulin were 0.10 and 0.15 μg/mL, respectively. Also, this assay was applied to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters of insulin in eight insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients after subcutaneous injection of 25 IU of Actrapid HM.     

Determination and pharmacokinetic study of nodakenin in rat plasma by RP-HPLC method

A simple, sensitive and selective RP-HPLC method has been developed for quantification of nodakenin in rat plasma. Nodakenin in rat plasma was extracted with acetonitrile, which also acted as a deproteinization agent. Chromatographic separation of nodakenin was performed on an analytical Diamonsil ODS C18 column, with a mobile phase of MeOH-H2O (1:1, v/v) at a flow-rate of 1.0 mL/min, and UV detection was set at 330 nm. The calibration curve was linear over the range 0.2-12.0 microg/mL (R2 = 0.9995) in rat plasma. The lower limit of detection and quantification were 0.01 and 0.1 microg/mL, respectively, using the rat plasma sample. The extraction recoveries were 77.36 +/- 4.56, 82.89 +/- 1.84 and 81.66 +/- 2.49% at concentrations of 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 microg/mL, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were validated by relative standard deviation and relative error, which were in the ranges 5.07-5.83 and 3.95-6.29%, respectively. After i.v. administration to rats at a single dose of 40 mg/kg, the plasma concentration-time curve of nodakenin was best conformed to a two-compartment open model. This assay method has been successfully applied to the study of the pharmacokinetics of nodakenin in rats.     

Determination of amifloxacin and two of its principal metabolites in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography using automated column switching

The automated determination of amifloxacin and two of its principal metabolites in human plasma and urine by column-switching high-performance liquid chromatography is described. Plasma or urine samples, diluted 1:1 with 0.5 M sodium citrate buffer pH 2.5, were directly injected onto a cation-exchange pre-column. Following a 2.0-min wash of the pre-column with water at a flow-rate of 1.1 ml/min, the effluent from the pre-column was directed to the analytical column by a column-switching device. The precision of the plasma and urine methods ranged from a +/- 1.9 to +/- 3.6% for all compounds. The accuracies of the methods were within a range of -3.3% to 6.4% of the nominal values for all compounds. Linear responses were observed for all the standards in the range 0.10-5.0 micrograms/ml for plasma and 0.50-100 micrograms/ml for urine for all three compounds. The minimum quantifiable levels were 0.10 and 0.50 micrograms/ml for plasma and urine, respectively. The analytical methods may be used to quantify amifloxacin and the piperazinyl-N-desmethyl and piperazinyl-N-oxide metabolites in plasma and urine samples obtained from humans, monkeys, dogs and rats.     

Pharmacokinetic study of puerarin in rat serum by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

A highly sensitive and specific atmospheric pressure chemical ionization liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for serum pharmacokinetic studies of puerarin in rats. Chromatography was carried out on a reversed-phase Phenomenex Synergi 4 microm Fusion-RP80 column (150 x 2.0 mm i.d.) using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-water (10:90, v/v) in 10 mm NH(4)OAc with a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Puerarin was analyzed in the multiple reaction monitoring mode with a precursor/product ion transition of m/z 415/267. The method was demonstrated to be specific and sensitive, and a linear response was observed over a range of 2-5000 ng/mL in rat serum. The validated method was successfully applied to the characterization of the pharmacokinetics of puerarin in rat serum after oral administration to spontaneously hypertensive rats. The blood concentration-time profile of puerarin showed a rapid initial increase, reaching a maximum and then declining within 1 h. Puerarin could not be detected after 24 h. The main pharmacokinetic parameters for puerarin after oral administration were as follows: C(max) (3.54 +/- 2.03 mg/L), T(max) (0.68 +/- 0.37 h), AUC(0-t) (7.29 +/- 3.79 mg h/L), AUC(0-infinity) (9.17 +/- 4.87 mg h/L), T(1/2) (1.7 +/- 0.6 h), CL/F (7.24 +/- 4.27 L/h/kg) and V/F (17.88 +/- 13.55 L/h/kg).