Detection and risk assessments of multi-pesticides in 1771 cultivated herbal medicines by LC/MS-MS and GC/MS-MS.

Focus on the safety of herbal medicines has mainly been directed towards the presence of intrinsic toxicity, as found in the cases of renal and hepatic dysfunction caused by aristolochic acids. However, contamination from extrinsic hazards may impart an even greater reduction in their safety and efficacy. This study reveals that pesticides were present in the majority (88%) of a comprehensive cross-section (n = 1771) of herbal medicine samples. Alarmingly, more than half (59%) contained pesticides over the European Pharmacopoeia (EP) limit, and 43% of them contained 35 varieties of banned, extremely toxic pesticides, eight of which were detected at levels over 500 times higher than the default Maximum Residue Limit (MRL). DDTs, carbofuran, and mevinphos were confirmed as being among the most risk-inducing pesticides by three different risk assessment methods, reported to produce carcinogenic, genotoxic, reproductive, and developmental effects, in addition to carrying nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. In light of these findings, and withstanding that extrinsic hazards can be controlled unlike intrinsic toxicity, the authors here strongly recommend the application of herbal medicine quality-control measures and solutions to safeguard against a neglected but certainly potentially serious health risk posed to the majority of the global population that consumes herbal medicines.

Panax ginseng genome examination for ginsenoside biosynthesis.

Ginseng, which contains ginsenosides as bioactive compounds, has been regarded as an important traditional medicine for several millennia. However, the genetic background of ginseng remains poorly understood, partly because of the plant's large and complex genome composition. We report the entire genome sequence of Panax ginseng using next-generation sequencing. The 3.5-Gb nucleotide sequence contains more than 60% repeats and encodes 42 006 predicted genes. Twenty-two transcriptome datasets and mass spectrometry images of ginseng roots were adopted to precisely quantify the functional genes. Thirty-one genes were identified to be involved in the mevalonic acid pathway. Eight of these genes were annotated as 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductases, which displayed diverse structures and expression characteristics. A total of 225 UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) were identified, and these UGTs accounted for one of the largest gene families of ginseng. Tandem repeats contributed to the duplication and divergence of UGTs. Molecular modeling of UGTs in the 71st, 74th, and 94th families revealed a regiospecific conserved motif located at the N-terminus. Molecular docking predicted that this motif captures ginsenoside precursors. The ginseng genome represents a valuable resource for understanding and improving the breeding, cultivation, and synthesis biology of this key herb.

[Determination of sulfur dioxide residues in sulfur fumigated Chinese herbs with headspace gas chromatography].

This paper aims to establish a method for the determination of sulfur dioxide in sulfur fumigation Chinese herbs. Sample powder and hydrochloric acid solution were isolated by paraffin layer in order to avoid early reactions, with the generation of sulfur dioxide, headspace with airtight needle was used to transfer sulfur dioxide into gas chromatograph, and detected with thermal conductivity detector. The analytical performance was demonstrated by the analysis of 12 herbs, spiked at four concentration levels. In general, the recoveries ranging from 70% to 110%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) within 15%, were obtained. The limit of detection (LOD) was below 10 mg x kg(-1). Standard addition can be used for low recovery samples. The method is simple, less time-consuming, specific and sensitive. Methods comparison revealed that gas chromatography is better than traditional titration in terms of method operability, accuracy and specificity, showing good application value.

[Determination of seven toxaphene congeners in ginseng and milkvetch root by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry].

A novel method for the determination of representative toxaphene congeners in traditional Chinese herbal medicines was developed. Ginseng and Milkvetch Root were selected as the samples and seven toxaphene congeners were selected as the monitoring objects. The samples were extracted by accelerated solvent extraction with cyclohexane-acetone (9:1, v/v), then cleaned-up by Florisil solid phase extraction with hexane as the eluent and the residues were detected by gas chromatography-electron ionization tandem mass spectrometry (GC-EI-MS/MS) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The performance was demonstrated by the analysis of Ginseng and Milkvetch Root samples spiked with toxaphene congeners at three concentration levels of 0.005, 0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg. The recoveries ranged from 72.4% to 105% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 0.96%-10.4%. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.2-1.7 microg/kg. This method is sensitive and efficient in the aspect of extraction, and can be applied to monitor the residue of toxaphene congeners in Ginseng and Milkvetch Root.

Comprehensive multiresidue method for the simultaneous determination of 74 pesticides and metabolites in traditional Chinese herbal medicines by accelerated solvent extraction with high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

In this paper, a multiresidue method for the simultaneous target analysis of 74 pesticides and metabolites in traditional Chinese herbal medicines (TCHMs) was developed using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) coupled with HPLC/MS/MS. Pesticide residues were extracted from the different samples using ASE, then purified by gel permeation chromatography and graphitized carbon black/primary, secondary amine SPE. Gradient elution was used in conjunction with positive mode electrospray ionization MS/MS to detect 74 pesticides and metabolites from Cortex Cinnamomi, Flos Carthami, Folium Ginkgo, Herba Pogostemonis, Radix Ginseng, and Semen Ginkgo using a single chromatographic run. The analytical performance was demonstrated by the analysis of extracts spiked at three concentration levels ranging from 0.005 to 0.125 mg/kg for each pesticide and metabolite. In general, recoveries ranging from 70 to 110%, with RSDs better than 15%, were obtained. The recovery and repeatability data were in good accordance with European Union guidelines for pesticide residue analysis. The LOD for most of the targeted pesticides and metabolites tested was below 0.01 mg/kg.

[Simultaneous determination of 56 organochlorine and pyrethroid pesticides in traditional Chinese medicines by GC coupled with dual-tower and dual-column].

The paper is to report the establishment of a method for the determination of multi-residue organochlorine and pyrethroid pesticides in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). Fifty-six pesticides were extracted by high-speed homogenization, and then purified through gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges. The residues were simultaneously identified and quantified by GC-ECD equipped with dual tower, dual column and two micro-ECD detectors. The analytical performance was demonstrated by the analysis of 3 TCMs samples' extracts, spiked at three concentration levels for each pesticide. In general, the recoveries ranging from 70% to 110%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) better than 15%, were obtained. The limit of detection (LOD) for most of the targeted pesticides tested was below 0.01 mg kg(-1). The method had good extraction efficiency, purification effect and good reproducibility, which could be applied to the determination of organochlorine and pyrethroid pesticide residues in the routine analysis of TCMs.