Abstract: AimTo study the pharmacokinetics of mangiferin in rats after oral administration of a single dose of Suanzaoren decoction. MethodsAn HPLC method was established using puerain as internal standard. Plasma samples were deproteinized with acetonitrile-acetic acid (9∶1), followed by evaporation of the acetonitrile to dryness. The resultant residue was then dissolved in mobile phase and HPLC separation was achieved on a Hypersil C₁₈ (200 mm×4.6 mm ID, 5 μm) column at room temperature. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile-water (12∶88) with 1% acetic acid and 1% tetrahydrofuran at a flow rate of 0.7 mL·min^-1. The UV detection wavelength was set at 320 nm. ResultsThe calibration curve was shown to be linear over the range from 0.536 to 26.8 μg·mL^-1 (r²≥0.995). Mean recovery was determined as 92.7%. Within-day and between-day precisions were less than 9.1% RSD. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) was 0.536 μg·mL^-1. The maximum plasma concentration (C_max), the time to reach peak concentration (T_max) and the apparent elimination half-life (T_1/2) were (10.5±2.2) μg·mL^-1, (5.8±0.4) h and (5.0±0.3) h, respectively. Conclusion The validated HPLC method developed has been applied to take a limited view of pharmacokinetics profile of mangiferin in rat plasma after having orally taken a single dose of Suanzaoren decoction.