[Biodistribution and Metabolism of 3H-gastrodigenin and 3H-gastrodin in Mice]

The biodistribution and metabolism of 3H-gastrodigenin and 3H-gastrodin after intravenous injection were studied by the detection of their radioactivity in mice tissue; the radioactive elements of mice tissue extracts after intravenous injection of 3H-gastrodin were analyzed with thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The results demonstrated that gastrodin could penetrate through the blood-brain barrier into the brain, and it was rapidly decomposed into the gastrodigenin in brain, liver and blood. Then gastrodigenin preserved in brain and mediated its pharmacological inhibitive effects on the central nervous system. Most of the gastrodigenin and gastrodin were excreted by the kidney. The findings also suggested that gastrodin might exist in the enterohepatic circulation.