A Comparative Study on Pharmacokinetics of Tricin, a Flavone from Gramineous Plants with Antiviral Activity

摘要

Tricin (and tricin containing plant extracts) has been shown to exert a pronounced antiviral activity, high radical scavenging activity and is favored for its safety profile. In the present study we have analyzed the pharmacokinetics of tricin after a single intravenous and oral administration to Wistar rats of an ethanol extract of Calamagrostis Adans and Deschampsia Beauv plants (test agent) at different doses. Tricin concentrations in blood plasma and blood cells were measured at different time points. Two-compartment (for intravenous injection) and one compartment (for oral administration) models were used for the analysis of tricin pharmacokinetics. The results showed that the pharmacokinetics of tricin after intravenous injection of test agent has a pronounced biphasic character, is well described by a two-compartment pharmacokinetic model, and is characterized by non-linear dose-dependence. The pharmacokinetics of tricin administered orally is characterized by a high rate of absorption from the gastrointestinal tract into the blood and rather slow elimination, which leads to a large volume of distribution in the body and a fairly high bioavailability. The obtained results indicate the advantages of the oral route of administration over the intravenous route.