Studies on the Bioavailability of Berberine Preparations

베르베린 제제의 생체 이용율에 관한 연구

In order to measure the bioavailability of Coptidis Rhizoma preparations, berberine was extracted by the mixture (1:1 v/v) of methanol and water from Coptidis Rhizoma and formulated into pills with some excipients. Disintegration time, dissolution rate, intestinal absorption rate, antibacterial effect, and serum concentration were measured. All pills were disintegrated about 60 minutes in gastric and intestinal juices and disintegration time did not change upon storage at $40^{\circ}C$ for 30 days. The pills manufactured using the extract which was extracted with the solvent containing dilute sulfuric acid showed faster dissolution and absorption from the small intestine than the other samples. It also showed not only the largest area under the serum concentration time curve and relative bioavailability, but also more potent antibacterial effect against gram-positive and gram-negative bacterias than the other samples. The correlation of the dissolution rate with absorption rate constant or $t_{max}$ showed a significant linear relationship.