Progress in pharmacokinetic researches of berberine

Rhizoma Coptidis has been long used as a traditional Chinese medicinal material in China and some other countries,and contains many kinds of alkaloids.Of these alkaloids,berberine is in the majority,and the tablets of berberine hydrochloride are used to treat the infection of digestive tract.Recently,scientists have found more pharmacological activities of berberine.Here,we presented the methods to determine the content of berberine in the biological samples,recent reviews of the pharmocokinetics of berberine and its main metabolites both in experimental animals and human.Besides,we also listed some major factors influencing the pharmacokinet- ics of berberine.