Ex vivo/in vitro absorption of STW 5 (Iberogast ®) and its extract components

• Published in: Phytomedicine (Stuttgart) 2006-01, Vol.13, p.107-113
• Main Authors: Kelber, O., Wittwer, A., Lapke, C., Kroll, U., Weiser, D., Okpanyi, S.N., Heilmann, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Caco-2; Caco-2 Cells; Carum carvi; Chelidonic acid; Chelidonium majus; Cucurbitacine E; Everted gut sac; Ex vivo/in vitro absorption studies; Gastrointestinal Agents - pharmacokinetics; Glucoiberin; Glycyrhiza glabra; Humans; Iberis amara; In Vitro Techniques; Intestinal Absorption; Intestine, Small - metabolism; Male; Matricaria recutita; Melissa officinalis; Mentha piperita; Pilot Projects; Plant Extracts - pharmacokinetics; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Silybum marianum; STW 5 (Iberogast ®)
• ISSN: 0944-7113; 1618-095X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2006.07.002

To correlate the pharmacological effects of the fixed herbal combination STW 5 (Iberogast ®) containing nine extract components with its confirmed clinical efficacy, ex vivo/in vitro absorption tests were performed. For the investigation, the everted gut sac technique and, in a pilot study, the Caco-2-cell model were used. The absorption rate of the extracts was determined by measuring characteristic marker substances of each of the individual extracts using HPLC or GC techniques. The results allow us to conclude that the investigated substances from STW 5 possess a good bioavailability, which is in accordance with the rapid onset of the therapeutic efficacy and explains its known pharmacological effects and clinical efficacy in terms of multiple drug action and multi-target therapy, respectively.