Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of piperine in animals after i.v. bolus administration.

A reverse phase HPLC method to determine piperine, a pungent constituent of black pepper, in rabbit serum and various tissues of the rat was developed. A pharmacokinetic study was performed in rabbits and tissue distribution studies were carried out in rats. High reproducibility was achieved in quantitative analysis over the concentration range of 0.2-20 micrograms/ml serum. After bolus intravenous administration of piperine at a dose of 10 mg/kg, the serum concentration--time curve fitted the two-compartment open model. The tissue distribution pattern of piperine in rats also supports the two-compartment open model.