[3H] Stevioside was administered orally at a dose of 125mg/kg to Wistar rats, and its disposition and metabolism were studied. The level of radioactivity in the blood increased slowly to a maximum of 4.83μg/ml at 8 hours, exhibiting a biological half-life of 24 hours. At 1 hour, the highest concentration was observed in the small intestine, followed by the stomach and cecum in that order. At 4 hours, the concentration in the cecum was markedly higher than those of other tissues. Radioactivity remaining in the body at 48 hours was 30.7% of the dose. At 120 hours, the percentages of radioactivity excreted into the feces and expired air were 68.4% and 23.9%, respectively, while radioactivity excreted into the urine was only 2.3%. Radioactivity excreted into the bile at 72 hours was 40.9% of the original dose. From the results of biliary and fecal excretion, it was concluded that entero-hepatic circulation occurs in the body.TLC analysis of the intestinal contents, feces and bile showed that stevioside is decomposed by cecal flora to steviol and sugars, indicating that steviol and these sugars are absorbed from the cecum, distributed throughout the whole body, and excreted mainly into feces and expired air.
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Nakayama et al. (1986) studied this question.