Enhancing effects of different dosages of borneol on pharmacokinetics of salvanic acid B after oral administration to rats

The main purpose of this study was to illustrate the effect of borneol on pharmacokinetics of salvianolic acid B (SalB) in rats after oral administration of SalB with different doses of borneol. The concentrations of SalB in rat plasma were determined by an established and validated LC-MS/MS method. Our data showed that when 20, 40, and 80 mg kg^− 1 of borneol were orally administrated with SalB at 50 mg kg^− 1, C _max of SalB was increased by 18.4%, 55.8%, and 103.2% compared with that of SalB alone. And AUC_0 − t of SalB in plasma was increased by 14.4%, 48.5%, and 123.3%, respectively. The results indicated that borneol is able to enhance the intestinal absorption and relative bioavailability of SalB, with a positive dose-dependent relationship. The described herb–drug interactions might prove the scientific rationality of the compatible ratio of traditional Chinese medicines.