HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (25) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Woelkart, K. Articles by Bauer, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Woelkart, K. Articles by Bauer, R. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Bioavailability and Pharmacokinetics of Alkamides From the Roots of Echinacea angustifolia in Humans

From the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacognosy, Karl-Franzens-University, Graz, Austria (K. Woelkart, R. Bauer); Institute of Hygiene, University of Medicine, Graz, Austria (C. Koidl, A. Grisold, E. Marth); Institute for Nutraceutical Research, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina (J. D. Gangemi); and Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia (R. B. Turner).

Alkamides are suspected to contribute to the activity of Echinacea preparations. They are mainly derived from undeca- and dodecanoic acid and differ in the degree of unsaturation and the configuration of the double bonds. In total, 6 alkamides have been isolated from the roots of Echinacea angustifolia as major lipophilic constituents and have been investigated regarding their pharmacokinetics. A sensitive and specific method has been developed for the identification and quantification of these alkamides in human plasma using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization ion-trap mass spectrometry. The method was applied to analyze plasma samples obtained from a randomized, open, single-dose, crossover study after oral administration of a 60% ethanolic extract from the roots of E. angustifolia to 11 healthy subjects. The maximum concentration of dodeca-2E,4E,8Z,10E/Z-tetraenoic acid isobutylamides, the main alkamides in the roots of E. angustifolia, appeared already after 30 minutes and was 10.88 ng/mL for the 2.5-mL dose.

Key Words: Echinacea angustifolia • alkamides • bioavailability • pharmacokinetics

Address for reprints: Dr Rudolf Bauer, Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften, Pharmakognosie, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Universitätsplatz 4/I, 8010 Graz, Austria.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Modarai, E. Silva, A. Suter, M. Heinrich, and A. Kortenkamp Safety of Herbal Medicinal Products: Echinacea and Selected Alkylamides do not Induce CYP3A4 mRNA Expression Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med., November 11, 2009; (2009) nep174v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Raduner, A. Majewska, J.-Z. Chen, X.-Q. Xie, J. Hamon, B. Faller, K.-H. Altmann, and J. Gertsch Alkylamides from Echinacea Are a New Class of Cannabinomimetics: CANNABINOID TYPE 2 RECEPTOR-DEPENDENT AND -INDEPENDENT IMMUNOMODULATORY EFFECTS J. Biol. Chem., May 19, 2006; 281(20): 14192 - 14206. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]