[Mercury species analysis and tissue distribution in rats after continuous administration of Cinnabaris].

Cinnabaris is a traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) commonly used for sedation and tranquilization in clinics, and its safety has always been a concern. This study intends to investigate the species and tissue distribution of mercury in rats after continuous administration of Cinnabaris. In the experiment, 30 rats were randomly divided into the control group(equivalent to 0.5% carboxy-methyl cellulose sodium), low-dose Cinnabaris group(0.2 g·kg~(-1)), high-dose Cinnabaris group(2 g·kg~(-1)), pseudogerm-free control group(equivalent to 0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose), and pseudogerm-free Cinnabaris group(2 g·kg~(-1)). They were orally administered for 30 consecutive days. Ultrasound-assisted acid extraction method combined with high performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry(HPLC-ICP-MS) was adopted to determine inorganic mercury [Hg(Ⅱ)], methylmercury(MeHg), and ethylmercury(EtHg) in different tissue, plasma, urine, and feces of rats. The optimal detection conditions and extraction methods were optimized, and the linearity(R~2>0.999 3), precision(RSD<7.0%), and accuracy(spike recoveries ranged from 73.05% to 109.5%) of all the mercury species were satisfied, meeting the requirements of analysis. The results of mercury species detection showed that Hg(Ⅱ) was detected in all the tissue of the five experimental groups, and the main accumulating organs were the intestinal tract, stomach, and kidney. MeHg existed at a low concentration in most tissue, and EtHg was not detected in all groups. In addition, pathological examination results showed that hepatocyte vacuolar degeneration, loose cytoplasm, light staining, and mononuclear cell infiltration were observed in the high-dose Cinnabaris group, low-dose Cinnabaris group, and pseudogerm-free Cinnabaris group, with slightly milder lesions in the low-dose Cinnabaris group. Hydrous degeneration of renal tubular epithelium could be seen in the high-dose Cinnabaris group and pseudogerm-free Cinnabaris group, but there was no significant difference between the other groups and the control group. No abnormal changes were found in the brain tissue of rats in each group. This paper studied the different mercury species and tissue distribution in normal and pseudogerm-free rats after continuous administration of Cinnabaris for 30 days and clarified its effects on the tissue structure of the liver, kidney, and brain, which provided supporting evidence for the safety evaluation of Cinnabaris.

Further insight into the potential toxicity of zearalenone-14-glucoside based on toxicokinetics, tissue distribution, transformation, and excretion in rats.

Bioaccumulation and biotransformation are critical factors that affect the release of easily metabolizable chemicals to cause human toxicity. The glucoside-type modified mycotoxin Zearalenone-14-Glucoside (Z14G) has attracted global attention for its high occurrence in foodstuffs and the potential threat to humans as its high rate of transformation into parent forms. Given the limited toxicokinetics information, this study assessed the absorption, distribution, biotransformation and excretion of Z14G, aiming to define the potential risk of Z14G. The toxicokinetics of Z14G were assessed after intravenous (IV) or oral administration (PO) in SD rats at doses of 10 mg/kg·b.w. In addition, comparative work with the parent mycotoxin ZEN was performed in parallel. The determination of Z14G and its metabolites (ZEN, α-zearalenol, ß-zearalenol, α-zearalanol, ß-zearalanol) proceeded with a sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS method. Our research indicated that Z14G readily disappeared from the blood, and distributed throughout the tissues via transformation into its parent form ZEN, and excreted primarily through urine. More importantly, the metabolite α-ZEL was observed in most analyzed tissue, urine and feces samples. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of biotransformation with regard to Z14G, providing critical insight for the health risk assessment of co-exposure of humans to glucoside-type modified mycotoxins.

[Residual status, toxicity, and analytical method of banned pesticides in traditional Chinese medicines].

A total of 33 pesticides have been banned from Chinese medicinal materials and decoction pieces(plants) according to Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition). According to the chemical structures, they are mainly divided into seven categories: organophosphorus compounds, organochlorines, carbamates, amidines, sulfonylureas, phenylpyrazoles, and ethers. These banned pesticides exhibit neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, immune system toxicity, teratogenicity, carcinogenesis, and mutagenesis, seriously damaging human and animal health. They affect not only the quality and safety of traditional Chinese medicines and resulting products, but also their competitiveness in the international market. Due to the numerous varieties of traditional Chinese medicines and their complex substrates, it is necessary to establish a universal and highly sensitive method for pesticide residue detection. This review systematically summarized the residual status, toxicity, and analytical methods of banned pesticides in traditional Chinese medicines, and forecasted the prospects of different analytical techniques, so as to provide reference for further safety and risk assessment of banned pesticide residues in traditional Chinese medicines, thus ensuring the safe production of traditional Chinese medicines.

A novel de novo TSC2 nonsense mutation detected in a pediatric patient with tuberous sclerosis complex.

PURPOSE: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant multisystem disorder characterized by hamartomas in multiple organ systems. The TSC1 and TSC2 genes have been identified as the genetic basis of TSC. Two gene tests were used for definitive genetic diagnosis. METHODS: In our study, the case of a Chinese pediatric patient with seizures, hypomelanotic macules, hyperpigmented patches, multiple parenchymal lesions in the ventricle, and developmental retardation is detailed. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) were employed to detect genetic variations and copy number variations of TSC1 and TSC2. RESULTS: A novel heterozygous nonsense mutation in the TSC2 gene (c.3751A>T, p.Lys1251Ter) was identified in a Chinese pediatric patient suffering from TSC, whose unaffected parents did not carry this mutation. The mutation was classified as "pathogenic" according to the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) guidelines. CONCLUSION: WGS was carried out to definitively diagnose and detect variations in the exon and noncoding region of the gene and copy number variations in the whole genome simultaneously. For diseases with complex genetic mechanisms, WGS as the first-line test can be efficient and cost-effective for clinical diagnosis.

[Health risk assessment of exogenous harmful pollutants in Chinese medicine: a review].

In recent years, the quality and safety problems have been limiting the internationalization of Chinese medicine. The pollutants in Chinese medicine, particularly the exogenous harmful pollutants mainly including mycotoxins, pesticide residues, heavy metals, harmful elements, and sulfur dioxide, are of high risks for people. Therefore, the World Health Organization(WHO) and relevant national organizations have clearly defined the maximum residue limits(MRLs) of such pollutants. Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition, volume Ⅳ) also demonstrates the detection methods, MRLs and preliminary risk assessment methods for four typical exogenous harmful pollutants in Chinese medicine. Therefore, continuous optimization of the health risk assessment system can further help further raise the quality and safety of Chinese medicine. This paper reviews the research on the health risk assessment of four typical exogenous harmful pollutants in Chinese medicine and discusses the problems of and challenges for the assessment system, which is expected to lay a scientific basis for the establishment of the risk warning mode and response measures suitable for specific types of Chinese medicine.

[Overview of quality standards of Eucommiae Cortex in China and overseas].

Eucommiae Cortex is an authentic medicinal material with broad growing areas( such as Hunan and Sichuan provinces in China. It is well-known for its efficacy in tonifying liver and kidney,strengthening muscles and bones,and stabilizing fetus. It has also been proven in pharmacology to possess the functions such as lowering blood pressure and lipids. Hence,Eucommiae Cortex has attracted increasing attention. The current quality standards of Eucommiae Cortex vary in different countries or regions. The quality of Eucommiae Cortex products on the market is affected by mix-ups of non-medicinal parts and insufficient growth years. In view of these problems,this paper summarizes the current quality standards and research progress of Eucommiae Cortex in China and overseas,aiming to provide a reference for the establishment of the quality standards of Eucommiae Cortex.

[Rapid detection of aflatoxin B_1 in Chinese herbal medicines by indirect and direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays: a comparative analysis].

The indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ic-ELISA) and direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(dc-ELISA) were performed for the rapid detection of aflatoxin B_1(AFB_1) in Astragali Radix, Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, Jujubae Fructus, and Nelumbinis Semen with self-made antigens and antibodies. Different extraction methods were investigated to reduce the matrix effects of different medicinal parts in Chinese herbal medicines. The sensitivity of dc-ELISA method was improved by optimizing the molar ratio of AFB_1 to horseradish peroxidase(HRP). In this study, the sensitivity(IC_(50)) of ic-ELISA and dc-ELISA was 0.046 and 0.023 ng·mL~(-1), with the limit of detection(LOD) of 0.007 and 0.004 ng·mL~(-1), respectively. The detection time was 3 h and 50 min for ic-ELISA and dc-ELISA, respectively. The recovery rates were within the range of 62.96%-104.4%, with RSDs of less than 10%. Confirmed by LC-MS/MS, three positive samples of Nelumbinis Semen were detected from 53 samples. Two ELISA methods established in this study were accurate, rapid and sensitive, and can be used for rapid screening of AFB_1 in Chinese herbal medicines such as Astragali Radix, Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, Jujubae Fructus, and Nelumbinis Semen. In addition, the advantages and limitations of the two methods were compared and discussed, which can provide a reference for the testing institutions to choose the proper method.

[Domestic and international research progress of edible and medicinal Arecae Semen].

Arecae Semen, as the first place among "Four South Medicines" in China, has great dual-use value of medicine and food. The research of Arecae Semen was mainly focused on the active ingredients and efficacy value, and its potential safety hazards were also concerned. Until now, there is still a lack of clear boundaries between medicine and food, resulting in its safety cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, it is of great significance to establish clear boundaries of medicine and food use and health risk assessment. In this paper, the differences of pretreatment and application methods of Arecae Semen were analyzed, and the research progress of Arecae Semen in chemical composition identification and toxicology research and safety evaluation were reviewed emphatically. Finally, the differences of quality control and safety evaluation of Arecae Semen in pharmacopoeias or standards were analyzed at home and abroad. It was expected to provide reference value for quality control, safety evaluation and international standardization research of Arecae Semen.

Recent advances in natural anti-HIV triterpenoids and analogs.

The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic is one of the world's most serious health challenges. Although combination antiretroviral therapy provides effective viral suppression, current medicines used against HIV cannot completely eradicate the infectious disease and often have associated toxicities and severe side effects in addition to causing drug resistance. Therefore, the continued development of new antiviral agents with diverse structures and novel mechanisms of action remains a vital need for the management of HIV/AIDS. Natural products are an important source of drug discovery, and certain triterpenes and their analogs have demonstrated potential as pharmaceutical precursors for the treatment of HIV. Over the past decade, natural triterpenoids and analogs have been extensively studied to find new anti-HIV drugs. This review discusses the anti-HIV triterpenoids and analogs reported during the period of 2009-2019. The article includes not only a comprehensive review of the recent anti-HIV agent development from the perspective of medicinal chemistry, but also discusses structure-activity relationship analyses of the described triterpenoids.

Asymmetric Slow-Spike-Wave Patterns with Maximal Discharges Contralateral to MRI Lesions Predict Better Surgical Prognosis in Symptomatic Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut Phenotypes.

INTRODUCTION: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a severe subtype of childhood-onset epileptic encephalopathy with drug-resistant and poor surgical prognosis. However, electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns of symptomatic LGS or LG phenotypes with structural brain lesions including focal abnormalities or asymmetric slow-spike-wave (SSW) patterns remain largely unknown. Due to the contradictory lateralization difference between MRI lesions and EEG pattern in symptomatic LGS or LG phenotypes, it is difficult to determine the precise lateralization of epileptic lesions, which is crucial to better surgical prognosis. This study is aim to ascertain the clinical characteristics of the EEG patterns, and its relationship with MRI lesions and to evaluate its prognostic value of surgical treatment in symptomatic LGS or LG phenotypes. METHODS: Twenty-four symptomatic LGS cases with asymmetric EEG SSW patterns and contralaterally independent or contralaterally dominant MRI lesions were collected, and their clinical features were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: In this cohort, most of lesions were perinatal or acquired during the first 6 months of life. The most common etiology was intracerebral hemorrhage. The LGS patients with both asymmetric SSW and focal sporadic epileptic waves (SEW) patterns showed the best surgical outcome with Engel class I level. Asymmetric SSW patterns with maximal discharges contralateral to MRI lesions were frequently observed in most of symptomatic LGS or LG phenotypes. Predominantly diffuse destructive lesions led to an attenuated voltage of ipsilateral scalp EEG producing an asymmetric SSW pattern in those patients with symptomatic LGS or LG phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals a special SEW EEG pattern in symptomatic LG patients with asymmetric SSW and MRI lesions contralateral to the dominant EEG patterns. Contradictory lateralization difference between MRI and EEG probably arises from the relative voltage attenuation presenting in EEG ipsilateral to huge destructive lesions from early life. Our study suggests that the independent focal SEW activity remaining ipsilateral to the MRI lesion can potentially predict better surgical prognosis in symptomatic LGS or LG phenotypes.

[Study on residues of heavy metals and harmful elements in Qingqiao and Laoqiao based on chemometrics].

Forsythiae Fructus is divided into Qingqiao and Laoqiao due to different harvesting periods. So far, the accumulation of heavy metals in the two types of Forsythiae Fructus has not been reported. In this study, the residual levels of copper(Cu), lead(Pb), chromium(Cr), arsenic(As), cadmium(Cd) and mercury(Hg) in 29 batches of Laoqiao and 60 batches of Qingqiao were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS). The samples were collected from Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, and Hebei Provinces. In addition, the diversity and correlation of harmful elements in Qingqiao and Laoqiao were analyzed by multivariate statistical method. Furthermore, principal component analysis(PCA) was used to analyze the harmful elements concentrations of Qingqiao and Laoqiao. The results showed that there was a significant difference on the residual levels of heavy metals and harmful elements between Qingqiao and Laoqiao. Among them, the content of Pb in Laoqiao is significantly higher than that in Qingqiao(P<0.01), while the content of Cu is significantly lower than that in Qingqiao. However, the difference in harmful elements among different producing areas of Forsythiae Fructus is not significant. PCA analysis showed that Qingqiao and Laoqiao were successfully grouped into two categories. This study suggests significant difference in the residual levels of heavy metals and harmful elements between Qingqiao and Laoqiao. Besides, Forsythiae Fructus has a certain enrichment of Pb in the fruit ripening stage(Laoqiao). This study provides a reference for the quality classification and safety of Forsythiae Fructus.

[Application and safety evaluation of plant growth regulators in traditional Chinese medicine].

Plant growth regulator is a kind of synthetic pesticide with similar physiological activity to plant hormones. It has been widely used in grain, vegetables, fruits, flowers and other crops, and become an important technical guarantee for high yield, stable yield, high quality and efficient production of crops. In recent years, plant growth regulator is widely used in Chinese herbal medicine production for regulating the growth and development and increasing production of traditional. However the crop is different from general Chinese medicinal materials, the use of plant growth regulator should not only consider the effect of Chinese herbal medicine production, and also pay special attention to the influence of Chinese traditional medicine efficacy and safety. This paper reviewed the application of plant growth regulator in the traditional Chinese medicine, the impact on the quality and safety of Chinese medicinal materials, as well as plant growth regulator of residue limits standards and testing technology, so as to the scientific use of plant growth regulator, to promote Chinese standardization planting, provide the scientific basis to protect the safety of herbal medicine. At present, the indiscriminate use and abuse of plant growth regulators such as Zhuanggenling and bulking element are common in the production of Chinese crude drugs, which has led to a significant decline in the quality of some Chinese crude drugs, and resulted in the dual residual harm to the Chinese crude drugs and the cultivation environment, causing serious safety risks to human health. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen the registration management, use norms and limit standards of plant growth regulators in traditional Chinese medicinal materials, and strengthen the supervision and regulations on the use of fertilizer instead of medicine to avoid pesticide registration and other disorders, so as to provide a basis for the quality and safety monitoring of traditional Chinese medicinal materials. Simultaneously, it is encouraged to reduction or non-application of plant growth regulators in the production of Chinese medicinal materials, especially for traditional Chinese medicine which contains a variety of active ingredients. Therefore, it is actively advocated to cultivate Chinese medicinal materials through organic or ecological method.

[Preparation of highly sensitive monoclonal antibody against aflatoxin B_1 and its application in rapid detection of contamination in Ziziphi Spinosae Semen].

A highly sensitive monoclonal antibody against aflatoxin B_1(AFB_1) was prepared and an indirect competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ic-ELISA) was established based on the antibody which was used for high-throughput and rapid screening of AFB_1 contamination in Chinese herbal medicines to ensure the safety of medication. In this study, the structure of AFB_1 was modified by improved oxime method, and the carrier protein was coupled by EDC-NHS method to obtain the complete antigen of AFB_1, which was more convenient and environmental friendly. The Balb/c female mice were immunized using increasing the immunization dose and various ways of injection, and finally the AFB_1 monoclonal antibody was prepared. The AFB_1 monoclonal antibody belongs to IgG_(2 b) immunoglobulin by identifying its immunological characteristics, and its sensitivity(IC_(50)) can reach 0.15 µg·L~(-1), and the affi-nity is 2.81×10~8 L·mol~(-1). The cross-reaction rates of AFB_2, AFG_1, and AFG_2 were 35.07%, 8.75%, and 1.15%, respectively, and there was almost no cross-reactivity with other mycotoxins. Based on the high sensitivity and specificity of the antibody, an ic-ELISA method was established and applied to the determination of AFB_1 contamination in Ziziphi Spinosae Semen. According to the matrix matching standard curve, the linear concentration range for AFB_1 was 0.05-0.58 µg·L~(-1)(R~2=0.992), the recoveries were 88.00%-119.0%, and the detection limit was 1.69 µg·kg~(-1). The AFB_1 in 33 batches of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen samples was determined by ic-ELISA, and the contamination level was 3.62-206.58 µg·kg~(-1). The linear correlation coefficient between the detection results of ic-ELISA and UHPLC-MS/MS was 0.996, and there were no false positive and false negative cases. It indicates that the established ic-ELISA is accurate and reliable, and could provide a simple and effective technique for fast screening of AFB_1 contamination in Ziziphi Spinosae Semen, and also could be considered as the reference for the detection and monitoring of AFB_1 contamination in other Chinese herbal medicines.

[Research developments for using of carbon nanotubes in pesticide residues detection and their application prospects in traditional Chinese medicines].

Pesticides are one of the main exogenous harmful residues in traditional Chinese medicines( TCMs),and the potential safety problems caused by pesticides affect the sustained and healthy development of TCMs. Carbon nanotubes( CNTs) possessed unique structure and properties,and widely used in analytical chemistry and other areas. In this review,the structure of CNTs and preparation method of composite material were summed up. Then,the application of CNTs in the pre-treatment technique of pesticides residues such as solid-phase extraction,solid phase micro-extraction,dispersive solid-phase extraction,matrix solid phase dispersion for detection of pesticides in different matrices were discussed in detail. In addition,the characteristics of pesticides in TCMs and maximum levels of pesticide residues in TCMs were investigated. Finally,the development and problems of CNTs in the determination of pesticide residues in TCMs were prospected.

[Establishment of health risk assessment model for assessing medicinal and edible plants contaminated by heavy metals--take Astragali Radix,Codonopsis Radix and Laminariae Thallus as examples].

With the improvement of living standard,the theory of " medicine and food homology" has developed rapidly in the field of diet,medicine and health preservation. In recent years,many literatures have been reported on the active ingredients and pharmacological effects of medicinal and edible plants,but relatively few reports have been reported on their safety investigation. Therefore,to further evaluate the quality and safety of medicinal and edible plants,Astragali Radix,Codonopsis Radix and Laminariae Thallus were selected as our research objects in this study. Moreover,the pollution level and the potential health risk of heavy metals were deeply assessed in different types of medicinal and edible plants. Especially,the contents of chromium,copper,arsenic,cadmium,mercury and lead in these three herbs were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry( ICP-MS),and their health risk level was evaluated by target hazard coefficient method. The results showed that under the international heavy metal limit standard( ISO 18664-2015,GB 2762-2017),the over-standard rates were 25%,77% and 100% in 16 batches of Astragali Radix,26 batches of Codonopsis Radix and 9 batches of Laminariae Thallus,respectively. Besides,the values of target hazard quotients( THQ) for adults and children are 0. 028 244,0. 063 505 and 0. 014 485,0. 032 568 in Astragalus membranaceus and Codonopsis pilosula,respectively,which were higher than the standard values of 0. 02 and 0. 011 25. While,the total heavy metals THQ values for adults and children are 0. 023 734 and 0. 020 287 in Laminariae Thallus,which were much higher than the standard values of 0. 008 0 and 0. 007 5. However,the CR values of As,Cd and Pb in the three herbs were lower than 1×10~(-6). Above results indicated that those six harmful elements have certain health hazards to the exposed population,but there is no potential carcinogenic effect. It can be seen that,there were still presence of the pollution of harmful elements,and it is necessary to establish the reasonable limit standards and quality control methods of medicinal and edible plants in time.

[Pollution level and health risk assessment of heavy metals and hazardous elements in Bombyx Batryticatus].

In order to comprehensively analyze the pollution level and bioaccessibility of different types of heavy metals and hazardous elements in animal medicine,this paper selected Bombyx Batryticatus as the research object,and used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry( ICP-MS) to detect As,Cu,Hg,Pb,Ni,Cr,Zn and Cd. Based on the artificial gastrointestinal digestion model and the health risk assessment model of Chinese medicinal materials,the pollution level,in vivo and in vitro transfer rate and health risk grade of eight harmful elements in the above-mentioned medicinal materials of Bombyx Batryticatus were obtained respectively. The test result was found that under the ISO international standard of Chinese medicine-Chinese herbal medicine heavy metals,the unqualified rate was 50% for Bombyx Batryticatus,which including 2 batches of As and 4 batches of Cr exceeded the MRL. In artificial gastrointestinal digestion solution,the transfer rates of heavy metals As,Cu,Hg,Pb,Ni,Cr,Zn and Cd were 36. 849%,72. 372%,41. 152%,75. 354%,46. 603%,27. 981%,19. 707% and 76. 282%,respectively. The data of risk assessment model showed that the total THQ values of the most polluted batches for adults and children was 0. 021 548 and 0. 018 418,respectively. After digestion,the THQ values decreased to 0. 012 599 for adults and 0. 010 769 for children,which were still higher than the THQ standard values of animal medicine Bombyx Batryticatus. However,the CR value of carcinogenic risk is less than 1×10-6,so the potential non-carcinogenic risk caused by taking this batch of Bombyx Batryticatus medicines is higher and the carcinogenic risk can be ignored. To sum up,heavy metals and hazardous elements in Bombyx Batryticatus still exceed the standard,but the health risk level caused by heavy metals still needs to be investigated according to different medicinal materials,in order to provide data support for further improving the quality and safety of animal medicine.

[Determination of arsenic speciation in 17 commonly used traditional Chinese herbal medicines by HPLC-ICP-MS].

The element speciation analysis for heavy metals in herbal medicines is still in the beginning stage. In this study,the total amount of arsenic( As) in 103 batches of 17 commonly used Chinese medicines( including 16 plant medicines and 1 medicinal fungus) was detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry( ICP-MS). Furthermore,based on HPLC-ICP-MS,the simultaneous detection methods of six As speciation kinds in traditional Chinese medicines were established. An AS7 anion exchange column was selected and the As forms in 17 traditional Chinese medicines was systematically analyzed. The results showed that the method of pretreatment of medicinal materials by microwave digestion and the detection of total amount of As by ICP-MS was stable and reliable. As for the speciation analysis of As,the high-speed ultrasonic extraction method was adopted,and it showed that the linear relationship of the six As speciation was satisfied with the correlation coefficient R2>0. 999 9. The LOQ of six kinds of As speciation were 0. 20,0. 10,0. 15,0. 10,0. 25,0. 10 µg·L~(-1) for arsenic betaine( As B),arsenious acid [As( Ⅲ) ],dimethyl arsenic( DMA),arsenic choline( As C),monomethyl arsenic( MMA),arsenic acid[As( Ⅴ) ],respectively. The recoveries were between 84. 24% and 121. 5%,and the relative standard deviations were 2. 7% to 11%. Among the 103 batches of medicinal materials,only one batch of sample As exceeded the Chinese Pharmacopoeia limit standard; As( Ⅲ) and As( Ⅴ) had high detection rate in 103 batches of Chinese herbal medicines,within which As( Ⅴ) was the main detected form,and inorganic As accounted for the ratio reached 80. 90%-98. 73%; some samples detected DMA,MMA and As B,As C was not detected in any batch. This study established an analytical method suitable for the speciation of As in Chinese herbal medicines,and provided basic data for As residual residue in Chinese herbal medicines,which can provide important reference for the risk assessment and quality standards.

[Safety evaluation of heavy metals contaminated Astragalus membranaceus using health risk assessment model].

To evaluate the safety of heavy metals contaminated Astragalus membranaceus,an appropriate protocol was established to study the heavy metals pollution level by health risk assessment. This study provided a detailed procedure to assess the medicinal herbs in quality control and safety evaluation,and expected to create awareness among the public on the safety of consuming of A. membranaceus or any other kinds of medicinal herbs. The heavy metals content of Cu,As,Cd,Pb and Hg in a total of 45 batches of A. membranaceus were carefully analyzed with a developed inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry( ICP-MS). Besides,the heavy metal contamination level was further evaluated through 4 main assessment parameters,including maximum residue limit( MRL) set by International Standard Organization,estimated daily intake( EDI) set by IUPAC,target hazard quotients( THQ) and Total THQ set by USEPA and total THQs in raw herbs of A. membranaceus. In addition,the recommended MRLs of 5 main heavy metals aimed to A. membranaceus were calculated based on the regulated consumption quantity. The result showed that,under the ISO international standard of Chinese medicine-Chinese herbal medicine heavy metals,the unqualified rate was 8. 89% for A. membranaceus,which including 4 batches of A. membranaceus exceeded the MRL of As. Here,the standard THQ value of A. membranaceus was firstly proposed as 0. 02 and 0. 011 25 for adults and children,respectively,which were calculated with the recommended consumption quantity of 30 g and 9 g for adults and children. Furthermore,the values of THQ for As and total THQs in adults and children were exceeded the standard THQ in A. membranaceus,and the recommended MRLs of Pb,Cd,Hg and Cu in above medicinal materials that calculated based on health risk assessment model were higher than the regulated MRLs that set by ISO and Chinese Pharmacopeia. The research showed that the contents of heavy metals in A. membranaceus were not in the safe range and the certain non-carcinogenic risks to human body cannot be neglected. Based on above investigation result,it is easily known that the common evaluation method for raw herbs based on the comparison of MRL of heavy metals was not precise enough,and the international model of health risk assessment should be built for each medicinal herb. Above all,this study provided a more realistic research approach for safety evaluation of any other kinds of heavy metals contaminated medicinal herbs,including the establishment of heavy metals standard limit in a specified medicinal herb under recommended consumption quantity,and it is expected to create awareness among the public on the safety of consuming any other medicinal herbs.

[Effect of Ferula ferulaeoides on growth and apoptosis of human gastric cancer MGC-803 transplantation tumor in nude mice].

In this paper,the effects of active fractions of Ferula ferulaeoides on the growth and apoptosis of human gastric cancer cell MGC-803 transplantation tumor were systematically studied. The subcutaneous ectopic transplantation tumor model was established in human gastric cancer MGC-803 nude mice by cell suspension implantation method. The anti-tumor rate and organ index were used to evaluate the anti-tumor effect of the active fractions of F. ferulaeoides on the tumor-bearing nude mice. HE staining,TUNEL staining,RT-PCR,Western-blot and ELISA were used for pathological examination,apoptosis observation,and detection of apoptosis-related genes,proteins and cytokines expression. The results showed that as compared with the model group,the low,medium and high doses of the active fraction of F. ferulaeoides had inhibitory effects on xenografts in nude mice,respectively,in a dose-dependent manner; the apoptotic ratio was increased with the increase of drug concentration. As compared with the model group,F. ferulaeoides could down-regulate the expression of survivin mRNA in nude mice,and the protein expression levels of Bax,Bcl-2,caspase-3 and caspase-9 in tumor tissues of nude mice could be increased to different degrees in F. ferulaeoides groups. The contents of IL-10 and TGF-ß1 in plasma of nude mice were decreased in high dose group of F. ferulaeoides active fractions. The results indicated that F. ferulaeoides can significantly inhibit the growth of human gastric cancer MGC-803 subcutaneously transplanted tumor,and its mechanism may be related with down-regulating the expression of survivin mRNA,and up-regulating the expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bax,caspase-3 and caspase-9.

[Current situation of heavy metal pollution,detection and removal techniques in medicinal marine organisms in China].

As an important branch of traditional medicines,medicinal marine organisms have many advantages,including biological diversity,remarkable biological activity,especial for the treatment of anti-cancer,anti-virus,anti-coagulation,analgesia,anti-bacterial,cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In recent years,with the continuous exploration of marine organisms by human beings,many marine organisms with specific biological activities and medicinal prospects have been found,which have attracted great attention around the world and thus called " new hope" to solve human health problems. However,due to the rapid development of modern industry,heavy metal pollution not only poses a great threat to medicinal marine living resources,but also hinders the development of marine biomedical industry and threatens human health. In view of this,this paper introduced the development trend of medicinal marine organisms and the current situation of heavy metal pollution and focusing on the analysis technology and chemical removal technology of heavy metals in medicinal marine organisms,which is to provide reference for the heavy metals control in marine medicines and the development and utilization of marine medicines.