Abstract: AIM: To investigate the pharmacokinetics of nobiletin in rats and Beagle dogs. METHODS: The concentration of nobiletin in plasma was measured by HPLC after intragastric administration and intravenous injection. RESULTS: In rats, the t_max values of nobiletin by intragastric administration at doses of 8, 16 and 32 mg /kg were 20, 30 and 30 min, respectively, and the C_max values were (300 ±171), (468 ±122) and (982 ±449) ng /mL respectively and the bioavailability was (14.6 ±2.7) %.In Beagle dogs, the t_max value of nobiletin after oral administration at a single dose of 4 mg /kg was (95 ±12) min, the C_max value was (435.6 ±88.1) ng /mL and the bioavailability was (27.4 ±8.4) %. CONCLUSION: After oral administration, nobiletin was rapidly absorbed in rats and Beagle dogs, but had low bioavailability. The values of t_max, t_{1 /2α} and t_{1 /2β} were different between the two species of animals obviously.

Key words: nobiletin, rat, Beagle dog, HPLC, pharmacokinetics