Pharmacokinetic properties of hydroxysafflor yellow A in healthy Chinese female volunteers

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) was isolated from the dried flower of Carthamus tinctorius L. which was extensively used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diseases due to blood stasis. However, there have been few detailed pharmacokinetic studies about HSYA on human beings.

Aim of the study

The aim was to investigate the pharmacokinetic characteristics of HSYA in healthy Chinese female volunteers.

Materials and methods

The volunteers were given intravenous infusion of single doses of safflor yellow injection (containing HSYA 35, 70 and 140 mg) in separate trial periods with 1 week washout period. The concentration levels of HSYA in plasma were determined with HPLC. Various pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated from the plasma concentration versus time data using non-compartmental methods.

Results

The C_max values were 2.02 ± 0.18, 7.47 ± 0.67 and 14.48 ± 4.71 μg/mL after the administration of single doses of 35, 70, and 140 mg of HSYA, respectively. The corresponding values of AUC_0–15h were 6.57 ± 1.20, 25.90 ± 4.62 and 48.47 ± 12.11 μg/(mL h⁻¹), and the values of t_1/2 were 3.21 ± 1.26, 3.33 ± 0.68 and 2.98 ± 0.09 h. The Student–Newman–Keuls test results showed that C_max and AUC_0–15h were both linearly related to dose.

Conclusions

In this study, the pharmacokinetic properties of HSYA are based on first-order kinetics over the dose range tested.