Aim: To determine 20S-ginsenoside Rg3 in various tissues of rabbit eye and evaluate pharmacokinetics following its topical application.
Methods: 45 rabbits were divided into 9 groups. Aqueous humor, cornea and iris-ciliary body were collected at 0.017, 0.033, 0.083, 0.167, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 h following topically applying 1% 20S-ginsenoside Rg3 eyeointment and the concentrations in eye tissues were measured by HPLC.
Results: The pharmacokinetics of 20S-ginsenoside Rg3 in rabbit eye were described by one-compartment model. The peak times in aqueous humor, cornea and iris-ciliary body were 0.42, 0.16 and 0.19 h, and T(1/2) were 0.1, 0.9 and 0.8 h respectively.
Conclusion: The method of determining 20S-ginsenoside Rg3 in rabbit eyes was established. The pharmacokinetics parameters were determined.