Abstract

This is an attempt to evaluate the bioavailability of β-sitosterol in rat plasma using Highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The developed HPLC with ultraviolet detection has been applied to predict the pharmacokinetic parameters of β-sitosterol after oral administration at a dose of 20 mg / kg bw to male albino Wistar rats (n=6), blood samples were collected at different time intervals (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h). Separation was achieved on Eclipse XDB-C18 column (200 x 4.6 mm) using methanol: acetonitrile (30 : 70, v/v) as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 ml / min and data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). From the calibration curve, the amount of β-sitosterol was calculated. The retention time of β-sitosterol in plasma sample was 2.95. The oral administration of β-sitosterol at a dose of 20 mg/ kg bw produced significantly different pharmacokinetic parameters in Tmax, Cmax, halflife (t1/2), area under curve (AUC) and elimination rate constant (P<0.05). The pharmacokinetic study of plant sterols could improve the ability to illustrate their bioavailability, understand the mechanism of drug action and help to promote the drug development phase.