[Effect of Rhizoma Coptidis coadministration with Cortex Cinnamomi on tissue distribution of berberine in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the tissue distribution of berberine in rats after oral administration of Rhizoma Coptidis with Cortex Cinnamomi powder.


METHODS
After oral administration of Rhizoma Coptidis powder and Rhizoma Coptidis with Cortex Cinnamomi powder (6:1) at the dosage of 6 g x kg(-1) and 6.6 g x kg(-1) respectively per day for 1 week, the drug concentrations in various tissues were determined by HPLC method. The variations of berberine concentrations in tissues of two treated group of rats were compared by t test using software of SAS.


RESULTS
With repeated administration of Rhizoma Coptidis powder, berberine distributed widely in tissues of rats and the concentrations of berberine in tissues increased, yet berberine existed mainly in liver. Berberine concentrations in all organs investigated in the group of rats treated with Rhizoma Coptidis and Cortex Cinnamomi powder showed obvious difference with those of the group of rats treated with Rhizoma Coptidis powder (P < 0.01). The berberine concentrations increased in heart, liver and kidney, while decreased in spleen and lung.


CONCLUSIONS
Rhizoma Coptidis coadministration with Cortex Cinnamomi can obviously change the distribution of berberine in rat organs.
School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100102, China.
Rui
R
Zhang
Kaipeng
K
Li
Jie
J
Yang
Guo
G
Huang
Lijuan
L
Yang
Yujie
Y
Zhang
D000818:Animals; D001599:Berberine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002935:Cinnamomum zeylanicum; D000089042:Coptis chinensis; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C532132:cinnamomi cortex; D001599:Berberine; C107393:Coptidis rhizoma extract