Pharmacokinetics of Rosmarinic Acid in Rats and Tissue Distribution in Mice

Rosmarinic acid is a water-soluble natural phenolic acid compound isolated from the rosemary of the Labiatae family where it is widely distributed. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for quantification of rosmarinic acid which was then applied in pharmacokinetics study in rat and tissue distribution in mouse. Six male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for pharmacokinetics after intravenous (12 mg/kg) administration of rosmarinic acid. Thirty mice were randomly divided into six groups (five mice for each group, one group for each time point) and received 24 mg/kg of rosmarinic acid by intraperitoneal administration. The linear range of calibration curve was over 10-2000 ng/mL for rosmarinic acid in rat plasma and mouse tissues. The level of rosmarinic acid was highest in mouse kidney, followed by lung, spleen and liver. The level of rosmarinic acid in brain remains considerably low, which indicated that blood brain barrier may effectively prevent rosmarinic acid from moving across. The overwhelming accumulation in kidney indicated that kidney was responsible for the extensive metabolism of rosmarinic acid.