A pharmacokinetic study of patchouli alcohol after a single oral administration of patchouli alcohol or patchouli oil in rats

Pogostemonis herba is used in traditional Chinese medicine to remove dampness, relieve sunstroke, stop vomiting and increase appetite. Patchouli alcohol, an ingredient in pogostemonis herba, has the potential to treat inflammation as well as bacterial and fungal infections. The essential oil of pogostemonis herba (patchouli oil) is commonly given orally in clinical settings; however, no pharmacokinetic studies have examined its oral administration. The goal of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic behavior of patchouli alcohol following single-dose oral administration in rats; the influence of other patchouli oil components on the pharmacokinetic profile of patchouli alcohol was also examined. In this study, a simple and selective GC/MS method was developed and validated to measure the level of patchouli alcohol in rat plasma. The study revealed that the pharmacokinetics profile was linear in both the patchouli alcohol and patchouli oil groups. The Cmaxand AUC0–tof patchouli alcohol were greater in all three doses of patchouli alcohol compared to corresponding patchouli oil doses. Additionally, the Tmaxvalues were significantly greater in the patchouli oil group. These results suggest that the other ingredients in patchouli oil influence the pharmacokinetic behavior of patchouli alcohol during its absorption. The results provide a meaningful basis for evaluating the clinical application of patchouli oil and patchouli alcohol.