Pharmacokinetic parameters of E4101,(-)-(3R,4R)-3-(2-chloro-3-hydroxyphenyl)- 4-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-pyrrolidine hydrochloride, in plasma were determined in conscious beagles. E4101 was extracted from plasma using a Bond Elute C18 cartridge and determined by HPLC connected to a reverse phase ODS column and an electrochemical detector. After an i.v. administration of 1 mg/kg, the plasma level of E4101 decreased according to the three compartment model. The half lives of the alpha, beta and gamma phases were 1.3, 8.1 and 27 min, respectively. The mean residence time (MRT) and total clearance were 14.5 min and 78 ml/min/kg, respectively. When 3 mg/kg of E4101 were administered orally under fasting, E4101 in plasma reached the peak (Cmax: 22.4 ng/ml) 45 min after administration. The bioavailability was 3.6%. When 3 mg/kg of E4101 in combination with 15 mg/kg of ascorbic acid was orally administered in capsule, the area under concentration curve (AUC) was increased 7-fold compared with that in a matched control study. A combination with 15 mg/kg of tartaric acid, citric acid, L-aspartic acid or L-cysteine also increased the AUC, byt they were less effective than ascorbic acid. When 10 mg/kg of E4101 in combination with 25 mg/kg of ascorbic acid as a sustained-release dosage form using oily somisolid matrix orally administered to non-fasted beagles, the duration of effective plasma concentration (2 ng/ml plasma in i.d. administration) was 8.4 +/- 1.0 hr (mean +/- SE, n-4). The Cmax was 16.2 +/- 2.5 ng/ml.