Determination of ligustilide in rat brain after nasal administration of essential oil from Rhizoma Chuanxiong

A simple and sensitive HPLC–UV method was developed to determine ligustilide in rat brain samples after nasal administration. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 245 ng/ml for ligustilide. The calibration curve was linear over a concentration range of 245–4900 ng/ml. Brain samples were obtained at regular time intervals after nasal administration of ligustilide (45 mg/kg). Ligustilide could be detected in rat brain only after 5 min of nasal administration; which showed that ligustilide may have a rapid onset of action. This result illustrates that intranasal administration of ligustilide may act as a promising alternative to conventional routes of administration.

Graphical abstractA simple and sensitive HPLC–UV method was developed to determine ligustilide in rat brain samples after nasal administration of essential oil from Rhizoma Chuanxiong.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide