Simultaneous Determination and Risk Assessment of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Artemisia capillaris Thunb. by UPLC-MS/MS Together with Chemometrics

Abstract

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are natural toxins found in some genera of the family Asteraceae. However, it has not been reported whether PAs are present in the widely used Asteraceae plant Artemisia capillaris Thunb. (A. capillaris). The purpose of this study was to establish a sensitive and rapid UPLC-MS/MS method together with chemometrics analysis for simultaneous determination and risk assessment of PAs in A. capillaris. The developed UPLC-MS/MS method was validated and was confirmed to display desirable high selectivity, precision and accuracy. Risk assessment was conducted according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) guideline. Chemometrics analysis was performed with hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis to characterize the differences between PAs of A. capillaris. Finally, PAs were found in 29 out of 30 samples and at least two were detected in each sample, besides, more than half of the samples exceeded the EMA baseline. Nevertheless, the chemometrics results suggested that the PAs contents of A. capillaris from different sources varied significantly. The method was successfully applied to the detection and risk evaluation of PAs-containing A. capillaris for the first time. This study should provide a meaningful reference for the rational and safe use of A. capillaris.

Hepatotoxicity of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid Compound Intermedine: Comparison with Other Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids and Its Toxicological Mechanism

“…Therefore, these alkaloids have the most significant hepatotoxicity [1,8,16,17]. Given the severe hepatotoxicity of PAs and following a comprehensive risk assessment of this hepatocarcinogen, many countries and international organizations, such as the European Union, the Germany Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA), the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, have established intake limits or recommended daily intakes of PAs [18][19][20].…”

Quantitative Analysis of Six Phenolic Acids in Artemisia capillaris (Yinchen) by HPLC-DAD and Their Transformation Pathways in Decoction Preparation Process

“…ey are considered as important active ingredients in YC herb. So far, some research studied the analysis of one or several active constituents above in YC herb [16,17] or herbal formulas containing YC [18][19][20][21][22]. Besides, HPLC-DAD and HPLC-high-resolution MS were applied to study eight organic acids and analyze the possible transformation that might occur between them in preparation of YC extract [23].…”

The invasive butterbur contaminates stream and seepage water in groundwater wells with toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids

“…Due to the high toxicity, national health authorities in e.g. Germany and United Kingdom recommended a daily total PA intake of not more than 7 ng/kg bodyweight applying a margin of exposure (MOE) of 10,000 37,[58][59][60][61] . The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends minimizing exposure and in 2017 established a benchmark dose lower confidence limit 10% (BMDL 10 ) of 237,000 ng/kg body weight per day.…”