ABSTRACT
The present study aimed to investigate the effects of salvianolic acid B (SalB) isolated from Radix Salvia miltiorrhizae on the oral pharmacokinetics of metoprolol (MET) and metoprolol acid (META) in rats. The pharmacokinetic parameters of MET and META were measured after oral (15 mg/kg) administration of MET in rats in the presence and absence of SalB. Compared to the control given MET alone, with the concurrent administration of SalB (50 mg/kg), the AUC and C(max) of MET increased by 51.7% and 27.7%, and the AUC and C(max) of META decreased by 26.5% and 19.6%, respectively. With the presence of SalB, the metabolic ratio was markedly decreased by 50.8%. However, no significant changes were observed in the pharmacokinetic parameters of SalB when it was combined with MET.