The distribution of Biscoclaurine Alkaloid, Cepharanthine in rat after iv administration.

Abstract

The distribution of Biscoclaurine Alkaloid, Cepharanthine (Ceph) in rat after iv administration was examined using autoradiography and immunohistochemical techniques. Ceph distribution was high in the spleen while in the endocrine organs, liver, kidney, lung and gastrointestinal tract, the distribution was of moderate degree. Furthermore, if it was in a lower concentration, Ceph was located in heart, skeletal muscle, bone marrow and lymphoid tissues. The amount of Ceph in the liver was increased gradually and it was present not only in the cytoplasm but also in the nucleus of liver cells. During the early phase, Ceph was mainly observed in splenic red pulp, however in the late phase it was found both in red and white splenic pulps as well. It confirmed that Ceph was excreted mainly from gastrointestinal tract and partly with the bile, urine and expired air. Further, Ceph was frequently distributed in matured T cells in thymus. It concluded that Ceph was able to distribute widely in whole body and was able to penetrate into the nucleus and cytoplasm of many cell types. Further, it seemed that Ceph played an important role in huge area of rat body.