Enhanced absorption of prenylated cinnamic acid derivatives from Brazilian green propolis by turmeric in humans and rats

Abstract

Prenylated cinnamic acid derivatives are the bioactive components of Brazilian green propolis (BGP). The effect of other botanical components on the pharmacokinetic profiles of these derivatives remains relatively unexplored. In the present study, we investigated the influence of several herbal extracts (turmeric, ginkgo leaf, coffee fruit, soybean, and gotu kola) on the plasma concentrations of cinnamic acid derivatives after BGP consumption. When the herbal extracts were co‐administered with BGP in the clinical study, the area under the curve (AUC) values of artepillin C and drupanin, the major BGP components in plasma, were significantly increased by 1.7‐ and 1.5‐fold, respectively, compared to those after BGP administration alone. Among the herbal extracts administered to rats, turmeric extract increased the AUC. Furthermore, a bidirectional transport assay suggested that artepillin C and drupanin are substrates of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), a drug elimination transporter. These results suggest that curcumin‐containing turmeric extract may increase the plasma concentrations of artepillin C and drupanin via BCRP. Our findings enabled us to estimate the food–herb and herb–herb interactions in vivo in foods and herbal medicines containing cinnamic acid derivatives and prenylated compounds.