Pharmacokinetics of puerarin in pregnant rats at different stages of gestation after oral administration.

This study aims to observe the effects of gestational stage on the pharmacokinetics of puerarin after oral administration in rats. The pharmacokinetics of puerarin was studied in pregnant rats using a sensitive and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatography/ultraviolet method. The concentration-time curves in both normal and pregnant rats were fit into a two-compartment model. The results indicated that gestation influences the pharmacokinetics of puerarin at different levels, especially during the early stages of pregnancy. Furthermore, puerarin penetrates the placental barrier and maintains high concentrations in fetal rat plasma. Therefore, puerarin administration should be carefully considered in pregnant women.