Pharmacokinetics of the ginkgo B following intravenous administration of ginkgo B emulsion in rats

Ginkgo B (GB) is an extract from the leaves of Ginkgo biloba, used in the treatment of dementia, cerebral insufficiency or related cognitive decline. In this paper, the main features of the pharmacokinetics of GB emulsion in rats were reviewed and the binding rate of GB to rat plasma and human plasma protein were investigated meanwhile. The concentrations of GB in plasma, tissue, and excretion of rats after i.v. administration of GB were measured using HPLC-ESI-MS. The metabolite was qualitated by LC-MS/MS. Intravenously administered GB was eliminated in a biphasic manner with a prominent initial phase (half-life of 0.3 h) followed by a slower terminal phase (half-life of 1.5 h). After i.v. 4, 12 and 36 mg/kg GB emulsion, the pharmacokinetic parameters from a two compartment model analysis of plasma samples were AUC(0-tau) (microg x min/ml): 53.7, 165.5 and 649.7; CL (l/min/kg): 0.07, 0.07 and 0.05; V(C) (l/kg): 2.27, 3.27 and 2.76, respectively. Peak concentrations generally occurred at 10 min except brain and fat. Tissue concentration then declined by several-fold during 6 h although still present in most tissues at 6 h. Single intravenous dose was mainly excreted in the urine (40-50%), feces contained less than 30%. The binding rate to rat plasma was little higher than to human plasma, but the difference was negligible. Some metabolites were found in urine and bile through qualitative analysis on the urine and bile by LC-MS/MS.