Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of ergosterol in rats

Phellinus ellipsoideus is a wood-rotting fungus used medicinally as sanghuang in the north-central area of Fujian Province, China. Ergosterol (ergosta-5,7,22-trien-3β-ol), one of the best-known bioactive steroids, has been identified as the active constituent of P . ellipsoideus . The objective of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of ergosterol after oral and intravenous administration in rats using high performance liquid chromatography with an external standard. The isolation was achieved with a C18 column using a methanol/water (98:2, v/v) solvent system with a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min at 25oC and a maximum absorption wavelength of 283 nm. The pharmacokinetic profiles of the two routes of administration revealed that ergosterol was absorbed rapidly into the systemic circulation and was widely distributed throughout the body, followed by a rapid elimination phase. The highest concentration of ergosterol was found in lung tissue, followed by spleen and liver. These results will be useful for clinical applications or further study of ergosterol from fungi.