Absorption and Urinary Excretion of (−)-Epicatechin after Administration of Different Levels of Cocoa Powder or (−)-Epicatechin in Rats

(−)-Epicatechin is a major polyphenol component of cocoa powder. The absorption and urinary excretion of (−)-epicatechin following administration of different levels of either cocoa powder (150, 750, and 1500 mg/kg) or (−)-epicatechin (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg) were evaluated in rats. Both the sum of plasma (−)-epicatechin metabolites at 1 h postadministration and peak plasma concentrations increased in a dose-dependent fashion. The sum of (−)-epicatechin metabolites in urine, excreted within 18 h postadministration, also increased with dose. Moreover, the sum of (−)-epicatechin metabolites excreted in urine reached the same level in both (−)-epicatechin and cocoa powder administration groups for equivalent amounts of (−)-epicatechin. These results suggest that, in the dose range examined in this study, bioavailability of (−)-epicatechin following administration of either (−)-epicatechin or cocoa powder shows dose dependence and that the various compounds present in cocoa powder have little effect on the bioavailability of (−)-epicatechin in cocoa powder. Keywords: (−)-Epicatechin; cocoa powder; absorption; excretion; rat