Abstract: AIM: To study the pharmacokinetics of nuciferine after intravenous administration in rats using high performance liquid chromatogram (HPLC).METHODS: Nuciferine was administered by intravenous injection in rats and plasma was collected from fundus oculi venous plexus. Liquid-liquid extract procedure was employed for the extraction of nuciferine in rat plasma. The concentrations of nuciferine in plasma were measured by using HPLC method and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by DAS.RESULTS: The main pharmacokinetic parameters of nuciferine after intravenous injection were as follows: t_1/2 was (1.73±0.58) h, V was (5.03±0.24) L/kg, CL was (4.23±0.78) L·h^-1·kg^-1, AUC_0-inf was (2.35±0.46) mg·L^-1·h, MRT was (1.51±0.31) h.CONCLUSION: The HPLC method for the determination of nuciferine in rat plasma is sensitive, stable and rapid, which is successfully employed for the pharmacokinetic study of nuciferine in rats. After intravenous injection in a dose of 100 mg/kg, intensity distribution of nuciferine in plasma and a high elimination rate are investigated.

Key words: nuciferine, pharmacokinetic, HPLC