title: Pharmacokinetics and Biodistribution of the Illegal Food Colorant Rhodamine B in Rats.
abstract: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) demonstrated rhodamine B as a potential carcinogen in 1978. Nevertheless, rhodamine B has been illegally used as a colorant in food in many countries. Few pharmacokinetic and toxicological investigations have been performed since the first pharmacokinetic study on rhodamine B in 1961. The aims of this study were to develop a simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method with fluorescence detection for the quantitative detection of rhodamine B in the plasma and organs of rats and to estimate its pharmacokinetics and biodistribution. The results demonstrated that the oral bioavailabilities of rhodamine B were 28.3 and 9.8% for the low-dose and high-dose exposures, respectively. Furthermore, rhodamine B was highly accumulated in the liver and, to a lesser extent, the kidney, but was undetectable in the brain. These results provide useful information for improving the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of rhodamine B, supporting additional food safety evaluations.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University , Taipei 112, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yung-Yi
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7473-2835
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University , Taipei 112, Taiwan.|Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University , Taichung 404, Taiwan.|School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University , Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.|Department of Chemical Engineering, National United University , Miaoli 36063, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tung-Hu
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9007-2547
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005453:Fluorescence; D005505:Food Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D019649:Food Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D064088:Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points / Q000379:methods; D007668:Kidney / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D057230:Limit of Detection; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D005505:Food Coloring Agents; D012235:Rhodamines; C029773:rhodamine B
keywords: HPLC-FLD; biodistribution; oral bioavailability; pharmacokinetics; rhodamine B