Investigation of the effect of Acai berry on the pharmacokinetics of Atorvastatin, Alogliptin and Empagliflozin: a herb-drug interaction study

Objectives To explore the effect of Acai berry on the pharmacokinetics of Atorvastatin (ATR), Alogliptin (ALO) and Empagliflozin (EMPA) in SD rats. Method Thirty-six rats were divided into six groups (n = 6). First three groups were treated with Acai berry (PO; 250 mg/kg); fourth, fifth and sixth groups received sodium CMC (vehicle) for 10 days and on eleventh day, first and fourth groups were administered with ATR (PO; 10 mg/kg); second and fifth groups with ALO (PO; 25 mg/kg) and third and sixth groups received EMPA (PO; 25 mg/kg). Key findings Co-intake of ATR with Acai berry resulted in slight decrease in Cmax from 41.78 to 34.65 ng/ml and AUC from 227.66 to 136.31 (µg/ml) *h, while there was an increase in the Cmax from 43.43 to 68.71 ng/ml and AUC from 117.6 to 207.1 (µg/ml) *h in ALO treated groups and Cmax from 173.99 to 250.1 ng/ml and AUC from 400.37 to 518.35 (µg/ml) *h in the EMPA-treated groups. Conclusion There was a significant change in the AUC0-t and Cmax of ATR, ALO and EMPA after co-administration with Acai berry. Further studies are recommended to confirm the clinical significance of these interactions.