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Does 3-pentadecylcatechol, an urushiol derivative, get absorbed in the body? A rat oral administration experiment

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Abstract

Urushiols are important active compounds found in the sap of the lacquer tree (Rhus verniciflua Stokes). Recently, various biological effects of urushiols, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities, have been reported. However, urushiols can also induce skin allergies. Nevertheless, the lacquer tree has traditionally been used in Korea as a folk medicine. In this study, we evaluated the absorption and metabolism of 3-pentadecylcatechol (PDC), a natural urushiol. PDC (48.0 mg/kg body wt.) in 1 mL propylene glycol was orally administered to rats (Sprague-Dawley, male, 6 weeks old). Blood plasma, urine, and feces were collected, separately. PDC was not detected in the extracts from rat blood plasma and urine. However, 89.4 ± 5.2% of the orally administered PDC was detected in the feces extracts, indicating that PDC was predominantly excreted and not absorbed.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (No. NRF-2017R1D1A1B03034520).

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  1. Department of Food Science and Technology, Chonnam National University, 77 Yongbongro, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea

    Hang Yeon Jeong, Hyoung Jae Lee, Jeong-Yong Cho & Jae-Hak Moon

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Jeong, H.Y., Lee, H.J., Cho, JY. et al. Does 3-pentadecylcatechol, an urushiol derivative, get absorbed in the body? A rat oral administration experiment. Food Sci Biotechnol 29, 997–1005 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-020-00739-1

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