Protective effects of patchouli alcohol against DSS-induced ulcerative colitis.

Patchouli alcohol (PA) is a widely used pharmaceutical ingredient in various Chinese traditional herbal medicine (THM) formulations, known for its modulatory effects on the gut microbiota. The present study investigated PA's anti-inflammatory and regulatory effects on gut microbiota and its mode of action (MOA). Based on the assessments of ulcerative colitis (UC) symptoms, PA exhibited promising preventions against inflammatory response. In accordance, the expressions of pro-inflammatory factors, including interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and chemokine ligand 5 were significantly attenuated under PA treatment. Furthermore, PA enhanced the intestinal barrier damage caused by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Interestingly, PA exhibited negligible inventions on DSS-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis. PA did not affect the diversity of the DSS gut microbiota, it did alter the composition, as evidenced by a significant increase in the Firmicutes-Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio. Finally, the MOA of PA against inflammation in DSS-treated mice was addressed by suppressing the expressions of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). In conclusion, PA prevented inflammatory response in the DSS-induced UC mice model via directly suppressing HO-1 and iNOS-associated antioxidant signal pathways, independent of its effects on gut microbiota composition.

Heavy metal spatial distribution, source analysis, and ecological risks in the central hilly area of Hainan Island, China: results from a high-density soil survey.

The presence of heavy metals in soil has gained considerable attention due to their potential risks to ecosystems and human health. In this study, a thorough soil investigation was performed in the hilly region of central Hainan, which was formerly regarded as an area with the highest ecological environmental quality. A total of 7094 soil samples were systematically collected with high density over a large area. Simultaneously, a detailed investigation was conducted on the surrounding environment of each sampling point, including environmental factors such as soil, land use and crop types. The soil samples were analysed for heavy metals, pH, organic matter, and other parameters. The soil heavy metal pollution level, ecological risk and health risk were evaluated using the geo-accumulation index and the potential ecological risk index. The findings showed that the average contents of the heavy metals As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn in the soil were 1.68, 0.042, 24.2, 6.49, 0.0319, 7.06, 29.6 and 49.8 mg·kg-1 respectively. Except for Hg, the mean values of the other heavy metals were either lower than or similar to the background values of Hainan. Also, only a few localised areas showed contamination by heavy metals. The primary sources of heavy metals, identified by a positive matrix factorisation model, could be categorised into four types: natural sources related to the soil formation process from acidic intrusive rocks (such as granite); natural sources primarily influenced by atmospheric deposition; anthropogenic sources associated with agricultural activities; and natural sources related to the soil formation process from middle-mafic intrusive rocks and black shales. The correlation analysis and variance analysis findings suggested that the content of heavy metals in the soil was primarily associated with the parent rock. The study area generally had low heavy metal levels and was not significantly polluted. However, agricultural activities still affected the enrichment of heavy metals. Therefore, it is imperative to remain vigilant about the ecological risks linked to soil heavy metals while continuing land development and expanding agricultural activities in the future. These findings indicate that conducting high-density soil surveys can enhance our understanding of regional soil heavy metals and enable reliable recommendations for agricultural planning. Whether in areas with low pollution risk or potential pollution risk, it is recommended that high-density soil surveys be conducted provide scientific guidance for further agricultural development.

Discovery of Ureido-Substituted 4-Phenylthiazole Derivatives as IGF1R Inhibitors with Potent Antiproliferative Properties.

The existing kinase inhibitors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have conferred survival benefits but are hampered by adverse effects and drug resistance, necessitating the development of novel agents targeting distinct pathways. To discover potent new anti-HCC compounds, we leveraged scaffold hopping from Sorafenib and introduced morpholine/piperidine moieties to develop ureido-substituted 4-phenylthiazole analogs with optimized physicochemical properties and binding interactions. Notably, compound 27 exhibited potent cytotoxicity against HepG2 cells (IC50 = 0.62 ± 0.34 µM), significantly exceeding Sorafenib (IC50 = 1.62 ± 0.27 µM). Mechanistic investigations revealed that compound 27 potently inhibited HCC cell migration and colony formation, and it induced G2/M arrest and early-stage apoptosis. Kinase profiling revealed IGF1R as a key target, which compound 27 potently inhibited (76.84% at 10 µM). Molecular modeling substantiated compound 27's strong binding to IGF1R via multiple hydrogen bonds. Computational predictions indicate favorable drug-like properties for compound 27. These findings provide a promising drug candidate for the treatment of HCC patients.

Parent material influences soil properties to shape bacterial community assembly processes, diversity, and enzyme-related functions.

Soil parent material is the second most influential factor in pedogenesis, influencing soil properties and microbial communities. Different assembly processes shape diverse functional microbial communities. The question remains unresolved regarding how these ecological assembly processes affect microbial communities and soil functionality within soils on different parent materials. We collected soil samples developed from typical parent materials, including basalt, granite, metamorphic rock, and marine sediments across soil profiles at depths of 0-20, 20-40, 40-80, and 80-100 cm, within rubber plantations on Hainan Island, China. We determined bacterial community characteristics, community assembly processes, and soil enzyme-related functions using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and enzyme activity analyses. We found homogeneous selection, dispersal limitation, and drift processes were the dominant drivers of bacterial community assembly across soils on different parent materials. In soils on basalt, lower pH and higher moisture triggered a homogeneous selection-dominated assembly process, leading to a less diverse community but otherwise higher carbon and nitrogen cycling enzyme activities. As deterministic process decreased, bacterial community diversity increased with stochastic process. In soils on marine sediments, lower water, carbon, and nutrient content limited the dispersal of bacterial communities, resulting in higher community diversity and an increased capacity to utilize relative recalcitrant substrates by releasing more oxidases. The r-strategy Bacteroidetes and genera Sphingomonas, Bacillus, Vibrionimonas, Ochrobactrum positively correlated with enzyme-related function, whereas k-strategy Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and genera Acidothermus, Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia, HSB OF53-F07 showed negative correlations. Our study suggests that parent material could influence bacterial community assembly processes, diversity, and soil enzyme-related functions via soil properties.

Spatial distribution and ecological risk assessment of soil heavy metals in a typical volcanic area: Influence of parent materials.

To understand the distribution characteristics and potential ecological risks of heavy metals in soils in the typical volcanic area, 2,592 soil samples were collected from the surface layer (0-20 cm) and 269 samples were collected from the middle (80-100 cm) and deep layers (180-200 cm) in northeast of Hainan province, China. Accordingly, eight heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cd, As, and Hg) were analyzed and determined. The effects of different parent materials and land use types on the accumulation of heavy metals in soils were compared, and the primary heavy metal sources were analyzed. The pollution level and ecological risk of heavy metals in soils in the study area were evaluated using the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and potential ecological risk indices (E i & RI). The results showed that, except that of Pb, the median concentrations of the analyzed heavy metals in the surface soils were higher than the background concentrations in the Hainan Island soils, indicating varying degrees of accumulation. The influence of land use type on the accumulation of heavy metals in surface soils varied from that of the parent materials. Anthropogenic activities highly influenced As, Cd, Hg, and Pb concentrations, whereas geological conditions primarily influenced Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn concentrations. The Igeo results showed that the mean value of the eight metal elements were greater than zero, except for Pb. In the surface soils, the Igeo values of As, Cd, Hg, and Zn mostly fell into the light to moderate pollution class, and those of Cr, Cu, and Ni fell into the medium and heavy pollution class. The RI of the study area showed a high to significantly high ecological risk because of the Cd, Hg, and Ni concentrations. The results give a new insight in the parent material's geochemical control on the heavy metal elements in soils, and it can serve as a reference for the background value of local soil heavy metals and provide a scientific basis for controlling the potential ecological risk of heavy metals and reasonable land use plans.

Exposure to di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate causes locomotor increase and anxiety-like behavior via induction of oxidative stress in brain.

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is one of the most prevalent xenoestrogen endocrine disruptor in daily life. A growing number of studies showed that DEHP could exhibit long-term adverse health effects on the human body, particularly in the liver, kidneys, heart and reproductive systems. However, the impact of oral intake of DEHP on the nervous system is extremely limited. In the present study, the adult C57BL/6J male mice were intragastrically administered with two dosages of DEHP for 35 days. The behavioral parameters were assessed using the elevated plus maze and open-field test. The mRNA expression levels of neuropeptides and the oxidative stress-associated proteins were detected by qPCR and western blot seperately. The histopathologic alterations of the brain were observed by H&E and Nissl staining. The results demonstrated that DEHP exposure could result in neurobehavioral impairments such as locomotor increase and anxiety-like behavior. Furthermore, pathological damages were clearly observed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, accompanied by a decrease in neuropeptides and an increase in oxidative stress, which were all positively correlated with the dose of DEHP. Together, these findings provide valuable clues into the DEHP-induced neurotoxicity.

Antibiotics administration alleviates the high fat diet-induced obesity through altering the lipid metabolism in young mice.

Currently, there is a global trend of rapid increase in obesity, especially among adolescents. The antibiotics cocktails (ABX) therapy is commonly used as an adjunctive treatment for gut microbiota related diseases, including obesity. However, the effects of broad-spectrum antibiotics alone on young obese hosts have rarely been reported. In the present study, the 3-week-old C57BL/6J male mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) were intragastric administration with ampicillin, vancomycin, metronidazole or neomycin for 30 days. The lipid metabolites in plasma were assessed by biochemical assay kits, and genes related to lipid metabolite in the white adipose were assessed by qPCR. To further analyze the underlying mechanisms, the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism, inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress in the liver were determined by qPCR assay. In addition, the expression of oxidative damage-associated proteins in the liver were detected by western blot. The results showed that oral antibiotics exposure could reduce body weight and fat index in HFD-fed mice, concurrent with the increase of white adipose lipolysis genes and the decrease of hepatic lipogenic genes. Furthermore, antibiotics treatment could clearly reverse the HFD-induced elevation of oxidative damage-related proteins in the liver. Together, these findings will provide valuable clues into the effects of antibiotics on obesity.

Vertical distribution and major influencing factors of soil selenium in tropical climate: A case study of Chengmai County, Hainan Island.

Soil selenium is of great significance to human health. Soil-forming parent rocks are the most critical factor that influences soil Se levels. Chengmai County, Hainan Island, has a tropical climate and diverse types of parent rocks, in which soil Se content is high. This study investigated the vertical distribution of soil Se from various parent rock substrates under tropical climatic conditions, and the factors that influence these soil Se contents, with 69 vertical soil profiles covering Chengmai County. The vertical distribution of soil Se and correlations with CIA (chemical alteration index), Al2O3, TFe2O3 (total iron oxide expressed as Fe2O3), total iodine, SOC (soil organic carbon), and pH were analysed. As per the results, the mean ± standard error of Se content in the A, B, and C horizons was 0.88 ± 0.13 mg/kg, 0.77 ± 0.08 mg/kg and 0.45 ± 0.05 mg/kg, respectively. The parent rock strictly controlled the horizon distribution of Se in the A-horizon. Soil Se showed A-B-horizons-enrichment in the vertical profile, especially in soil profiles overlying granite and basalt. It is hypothesised that the Se enriched in soils developed from the Tuolie Formation due to the release of Se from the weathering process of Se-rich rocks. Meanwhile, Se in soils developed from granite and basalt is more closely associated with exogenous input. Another crucial factor for the high level of Se in Chengmai County is the tropical climate, which has led the rocks to generally undergo intense chemical weathering. This results in soils rich in clay minerals and Fe/Al oxyhydroxides, which easily absorb and retain Se. Furthermore, the Se content of the B-horizon was generally higher than that of the A-horizon due to leaching. These results provide further knowledge and understanding of the geochemical behaviour of soil Se and guide the evaluation of Se-rich land resources under tropical climatic conditions.

[Enrichment Factors, Health Risk, and Source Identification of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soils in Semi-arid Region of Hainan Island].

To understand the enrichment factors and pollution levels of heavy metals in agricultural soils in the semi-arid region of Hainan island, 1818 surface soil samples were collected in Gancheng Town and analyzed for their heavy metal contents and physicochemical composition. Correlation analysis was used to determine the heavy metal enrichment factors. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), comprehensive ecological risk index (RI), and hazard index (HI), as well as carcinogenic risk (CR), were used to assess the degree of pollution and health risk. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was used to determine the primary sources of pollution and priority sources. The average values of heavy metal contents in the topsoil were 22.7, 0.128, 33.4, 14.5, 0.032, 9.32, 32.5, and 43.3 mg·kg-1 for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn, respectively. With the exception of Zn, the concentrations of other heavy metals in the topsoil were higher than the soil background values of Hainan, showing different degrees of heavy metal accumulation effect. The Igeo revealed that the major pollutant element in soils was As, followed by Cd and Cu. The RI showed that the proportion of soil samples that were high-risk level or worse was 29.4% of the total number of samples, among which As was the major source of risk. The health risk assessment results indicated that As, Cr, and Ni exposure presented carcinogenic risk for children with high CR values. Based on PMF, four major sources of heavy metals were identified in the study area. Hg was derived mainly from industrial sources, and As was closely associated with agricultural activities. Ni, Cu, Cr, and Zn were related to soil parent materials. Pb and Cd were associated with agricultural activities and traffic emissions. The PMF models combined with correlation analysis were useful for estimating the source apportionment of heavy metals in soils.

Asparagus cochinchinensis alleviates disturbances of lipid metabolism and gut microbiota in high-fat diet-induced obesity mice.

Asparagus cochinchinensis is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine that has anti-inflammatory ability and effectively regulates the dysbiosis within the body. Obesity is usually characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation with aberrant gut microbiota. However, the role of Asparagus cochinchinensis against obesity remains unknown. Therefore, a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mouse model with or without aqueous extract from Asparagus cochinchinensis root (ACE) treatment was established herein to determine whether ACE alleviated obesity and its involved mechanisms. Our results showed that ACE administration significantly decreased the weight gain and relieved dyslipidemia induced by HFD Treatment of ACE also improved glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in obese animal model, and remarkably decreased inflammation and lipogenesis in the liver and adipose. Moreover, administration of ACE significantly reshaped the gut microbiota of obese mice. These findings together suggest that ACE has beneficial effect against HFD-induced obesity and will provide valuable insights for the therapeutic potential of ACE against obesity and may aid in strategy-making for weight loss.

Polystyrene nanoparticles enhance the adverse effects of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on male reproductive system in mice.

Coexposure of nanoplastics (NPs) with other pollutants adsorbed from the surroundings has received extensive attention. Currently, the combined effects of NPs and plasticizers remain unclear. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a commonly used plasticizer that has raised much concern owing to its ubiquitous pollution and endocrine-disrupting potential. This study aimed to investigate the toxic effects on the male reproductive system upon coexposure to NPs and DEHP. The C57BL/6J mice were orally administrated with polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs), DEHP or both for 35 days to evaluate their effects on sperm quality, histology of testes and epididymides, testicular transcriptomic characteristics as well as expression of some important genes in the epididymides. The low-dose PSNPs used here did not induce significant changes in sperm quality, while DEHP alone or cotreatment with DEHP and PSNPs caused notable impairment, mainly manifesting as decreased sperm quality and aberrant structure of the testis and epididymis. Moreover, enhanced toxic effects were found in the cotreatment group when compared with the individual DEHP treatment group, as manifested by more obvious alterations in the sperm parameters as well as histological changes in the testis and epididymis. Testicular transcriptomic analysis revealed differential regulation of genes involved in immune response, cytoplasmic pattern recognition receptor signaling pathways, protein ubiquitination, oxidative stress, necrotic cell death, ATP synthesis and the cellular respiratory chain. RT-qPCR verified that the expression patterns of Cenpb, Crisp1 and Mars were changed in testes, and genes relevant to epididymal function including Aqp9 and Octn2 were downregulated in epididymides, particularly in the cotreatment group. Collectively, our results emphasize that DEHP at an environmentally relevant dose can induce male reproductive toxicity, and PSNPs may aggravate the toxic effects.

Polystyrene nanoparticles aggravate the adverse effects of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on different segments of intestine in mice.

Emerging evidence indicates that nanoplastics (NPs) can transport organic pollutants such as di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) into organisms and induce adverse health effects. Nevertheless, the toxic effects of NPs combined with DEHP on mammalian intestine are still unclear. In this study, the C57BL6J mice were exposed to polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs), DEHP or them both for 30 days to determine their effects on different segments of intestine and the gut microbiota. As a result, DEHP alone or co-exposure to DEHP and PSNPs induced histological damages in all intestinal parts, mainly manifested as the decreased villus lengths, increased crypt depths in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum and decreased villus counts accompanied with decreased epithelial area in the colon. Moreover, decreased mucus coverage, down-regulated Muc2 expression levels as well as the broken tight junctions were observed in intestinal epithelium of mice, particularly obvious in the co-treatment groups. In general, as manifested by greater alterations in most of the parameters mentioned above, simultaneously exposed to PSNPs and DEHP seemed to induce enhanced toxic effects on intestine of mouse when compared with DEHP alone. Furthermore, the altered community composition of gut microbiota might at least partially contribute to these abnormalities. Overall, our results highlight the aggravated toxicity on different segments of intestine in mammalians due to co-exposure of PSNPs and DEHP, and these findings will provide valuable insights into the health risk of NPs and plastic additives.

Heavy metal pollution in agricultural soils of a typical volcanic area: Risk assessment and source appointment.

Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements with high natural background levels in the volcanic area. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a risk assessment and identify potential sources of heavy metals. In this study, 4488 soil samples (0-20 cm) were collected in Chengmai County, a typical volcanic area in Hainan Province, and analyzed for eight heavy metals and major oxides. Pollution level, ecological risks, and health risks were evaluated by geo-accumulation index (Igeo), pollution index (PI), potential ecological risk index (RI), hazard index (HI), and carcinogenic risks (CR). The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was further used to determine the priority source of heavy metals. The average values of heavy metal concentrations in soil were 7.06, 0.07, 156.88, 33.43, 0.05, 72.47, 19.48, and 67.51 mg kg-1 for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn, respectively. Except for Pb, the average concentrations of all heavy metals exceeded background concentration in Hainan soils, indicating different degrees of heavy metal enrichment. The Igeo and PI showed that the main pollutant element in volcanic soils was Ni, followed by Cr and Cu. The RI shows that the percentage of soil samples with considerable or worse potential ecological risk was 44.4% of the total samples, with Hg, As, Cd, and Ni causing high ecological risks. The estimated average daily doses of heavy metals were below the tolerable limits and the HI values were below one for both adults and children, indicating that the residents had an acceptable potential non-carcinogenic risk. However, the potential carcinogenic risk of exposure to Cr, Ni, and As was unacceptable for residents, with high CR values exceeding 10-4, especially for children. Based on the PMF, five major sources of heavy metals were found in the study area: Ni, Cu, and Zn mainly from parent materials, As and Pb from daily life and vehicle emissions, Cd from agricultural activities, Hg from industrial activities, and Cr from parent materials under different environmental conditions. Significant positive correlations between Al2O3, TFe2O3, Mn, soil organic carbon (SOC), and heavy metals reflect that aluminium-rich minerals, Fe-Mn oxides, and SOC are the most critical factors affecting heavy metal accumulation in volcanic agricultural soils.

Modulatory Effects of Huoxiang Zhengqi Oral Liquid on Gut Microbiome Homeostasis Based on Healthy Adults and Antibiotic-Induced Gut Microbial Dysbiosis Mice Model.

Traditional herbal medicine (THM) is used worldwide for its safety and effectiveness against various diseases. Huoxiang Zhengqi (HXZQ) is an extensively used Chinese THM formula targeting gastrointestinal disordered gastroenteritis via regulating the intestinal microbiome/immuno-microenvironment. However, the specific mechanisms remain largely unexplored, besides as a lifestyle drug, its safety on the gut microbiome homeostasis has never been investigated. In this study, the effects of HXZQ on the gut microbiome of healthy adults were investigated for the first time, and the antibiotic-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis mice model was applied for verification. Based on healthy adults, our results revealed that HXZQ exhibited mild and positive impacts on the bacterial diversity and the composition of the gut microbiome in a healthy state. As for an unhealthy state of the gut microbiome (with low bacterial diversity and deficient compositions), HXZQ significantly restored the bacterial diversity and recovered the abundance of Bacteroidetes. In the antibiotic-induced mice model, HXZQ distinctly revived the deficient gut microbial compositions impaired by antibiotics. At the genus level, the abundances that responded most strongly and positively to HXZQ were Bifidobacterium in healthy adults and Muribaculaceae, Lactobacillus, and Akkermansia in mice. In contrast, the abundance of Blautia in healthy adults, Enterococcus, and Klebsiella in mice showed inversely associated with HXZQ administration. At last, HXZQ might exhibit an anti-inflammatory effect by regulating the concentration of interleukin-6 in plasma while causing no significant changes in the colon tissue structure in mice. In conclusion, our results elucidate that the safety of HXZQ in daily use further reveals the modulatory effects of HXZQ on gut microbial community structure. These results will provide new insights into the interaction of THM and gut microbiome homeostasis and clues about the safe use of THM as a lifestyle drug for its further development.

Spatial distribution and environmental impact factors of soil selenium in Hainan Island, China.

Selenium is an essential micronutrient for the human body, given its various health benefits. However, Se deficiency is widespread globally, and dietary adjustment is a feasible way to supplement people's Se daily intake. The Multi-purpose Regional Geochemical Survey (NMPRGS) conducted in Hainan Island found an abundance of Se-rich soil. These Se resources have been utilized to grow naturally Se-rich produce. However, insufficient research has been conducted into the spatial distribution and enrichment of soil Se in Hainan Island. This paper analysed the effect of the environmental impact factors (parent rock, precipitation, etc.) on soil Se, using data from the NMPRGS database. The results showed that, in comparison to the baseline value of Chinese soil, the enrichment degree of Se in the topsoil of Hainan Island was higher, but its distribution was uneven. The parent rock, precipitation, soil type, and soil characteristics all affect the concentration and spatial distribution of regional soil Se. Geographically weighted regression showed that Iodine, pH, SOC, and TFe2O3 have a non-stationarity spatial relationship with Se. There was a significant correlation between soil Se and Chemical alteration index (CIA) in granite areas, while CIA was also related to mean annual precipitation (MAP). The concentration enrichment factor values of Se show that the external input of Se in high MAP areas is significantly higher than that in low MAP areas. Based on these results, three important environmental impact factors on soil Se enrichment at the regional scale in Hainan Island were defined: 1) Se-rich rocks; 2) precipitation; 3) SOC. These results can provide guidance for the planning and layout of Se-rich agriculture.

[Accumulation and Health Risk of Heavy Metals in Cereals, Vegetables, and Fruits of Intensive Plantations in Hainan Province].

The accumulation of some harmful elements in plants from intensive production systems pose a serious threat to human health. In this study, seven heavy metals(Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg) and their distribution characteristics in the crops, vegetables, and fruits were analyzed alongside single factor evaluation and Nemero index analysis. Combined with dietary recommended consumption data from the Chinese Nutrition Society, the dietary exposure of heavy metals were further analyzed, and a consequent safety risk assessment was conducted. A total of 673 crop, vegetable, and fruit samples were collected from typical intensive production systems in Hainan Province. The results showed that the content of Cu, As, and Hg in the 673 plant samples was below the value of the national food standard. The exceed rates of Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cd were 2.67%, 3.71%, 2.53%, and 3.71%, respectively. The heavy metal comprehensive pollution degree of six species of plants showed the trend of leafy vegetables > tuber crops > non-leafy vegetables > legume crops > fruits > cereals. In particular, Cr in leafy vegetables showed significantly higher hazard quotients(HQ) than that in other types, and exceeded 1, suggesting a high potential health risk via the ingestion of heavy metals through leafy vegetables. The relatively lower hazard index(HI) values of tuber crops, non-leafy vegetables, legume crops, fruits, and cereals suggest that these types of plants are more suitable for intensive production systems.