Determination of puerarin in rat cortex by high-performance liquid chromatography after intravenous administration of Puerariae flavonoids

In the present study, a rapid and simple high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay for determination of puerarin in rat cortex was developed. The analysis was carried out on a Zorbax SB-C18 column with mobile phase acetonitrile-0.5% aqueous phosphoric acid (11:89, v/v). The detection was by UV at 252 nm. The calibration curve for puerarin was linear (r=0.9999) over the concentration range 0.516-206.250 microg/mL. The limit of detection was 0.206 microg/mL (signal-to-noise ratio 3) and the limit of quantification (signal-to-noise ratio 10) was 0.516 microg/mL. Stability studies showed that puerarin was stable at temperatures of 4 degrees C in methanol for at least 30 days. The intra- and inter-day assays of puerarin from rat cortex were less than 2.5% at concentration range 0.516-206.250 microg/mL and good overall recoveries (97.4-101.7%) were found at same concentrations. The method was applied to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters and the time course of puerarin in rat cortex, following a single dosage of intravenous administration of flavonoids from Puerariae radix at 32 mg/kg of puerarin to male Wistar rats.