Application of Bioaccessibility in Health Risk Assessment of Cd in Traditional Chinese Medicines / 中国药学杂志

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate and apply the bioaccessibility of Cd in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) to human health risk assessment, and provide reference for the formulation of limit standards. METHODS: The contents of Cd in Coptis chinensis Franch., Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort., Lindera aggregate (Sims) Kosterm., and Curcuma kwangsiensis S.G. Lee et C.F. Liang were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The bioaccessibility of Cd in TCMs was investigated by in vitro physiologically based extraction test(PBET) digestion method. And the target hazard quotient (THQ) was applied to assess the health risks of Cd contents. RESULTS: The bioaccessibility of Cd for Coptis chinensis Franch., Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort., Lindera aggregate (Sims) Kosterm., and Curcuma kwangsiensis S.G. Lee et C.F. Liang was 49.0%, 40.0%, 44.9% and 65.7%, respectively. The results of risk assessment showed that before extraction, THQ values of Cd for Coptis chinensis Franch., Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort., Lindera aggregate (Sims) Kosterm., and Curcuma kwangsiensis S.G. Lee et C.F. Liang were 1.895, 1.045, 1.446 and 1.653, respectively; after extraction, THQ values of Cd for the four types of TCMs were 0.929, 0.418, 0.649 and 1.077, respectively. CONCLUSION: Cd in the four types of TCMs cannot be completely absorbed in the artificial gastrointestinal phase, and the risks of Cd are reduced after extraction. Except THQ for Curcuma kwangsiensis S.G. Lee et C.F. Liang, the THQ values are below the value of 1, indicating very low health risks for the other three types of TCMs after extraction. In this study, the bioaccessibility of heavy metals in TCMs is applied to the health risk assessment model in order to provide a scientific basis for objectively evaluating the health risks of heavy metals in TCMs and formulating a scientific and reasonable heavy metal limit standards.