Background and objective: Because of the stomach-burning sensation it induces, capsaicin has been used at relatively low doses as a nutritional supplement, which has limited its bioavailability. The objective of this study was to investigate the serum bioavailability of capsaicin supplementation with or without a lipid multi-particulate (LMP) formulation.
Methods: Thirty-five rats were divided into five groups and administered capsaicin at either 0.2 or 1 mg/kg with or without the LMP formulation. Capsaicin bioavailability was assessed based on the area under the concentation-time curve (AUC), the time to peak concentration (Tmax), and the peak serum concentration (Cmax).
Results: For each formulation, the capsaicin Cmax was reached at 90 min and decreased thereafter. Serum capsaicin concentrations were greater in rats administered the higher dose of capsaicin (1 mg/kg) in the LMP formulation at all measurement times (P ≤ 0.05). The AUC showed a significant increase, about 20%, when capsaicin was administered in the LMP formulation at the high dose (P = 0.002). The Tmax for oral capsaicin was similar whether or not administration was via the LMP formulation (P = 0.163). However, the Cmax of capsaicin increased in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). Although the LMP formulation of the high dose of capsaicin resulted in a numerically higher Cmax, it was not statistically significantly higher (P = 0.068).
Conclusions: The present work demonstrated that administration of capsaicin via the LMP formulation significantly impacted the pharmacokinetic parameters and the serum bioavailability of orally administered 1 mg/kg capsaicin in rats. The bioavailability of capsaicin in humans may also be increased by using the LMP formulation.
© 2021. The Author(s).