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In vitro toxicity evaluations of Tibetan medicine Zuota from four institutions.
Drug & Chemical Toxicology
Short Title: Drug & Chemical Toxicology
Format: Journal Article
Publication Date: 2016/04//
Pages: 174 - 181
Sources ID: 93826
Notes: Accession Number: 112998987; Li, Bo 1 Li, Yan-Dan 1 Yang, Zhengming 1 Chen, Yijun 1 Liu, Panpan 1 Liu, Yuan 1; Email Address: yuanliu163@aliyun.com Zhang, Zhi-Feng 1 Lv, Lu-Yang 1 Zhang, Ji-Zhong 1 Zeng, Rui 1 Li, Li-Min 2; Affiliation:  1: Institute of Ethnic Medicine, Southwest University for Nationalities, Chengdu, P.R. China  2: Sichuan Academy of Chinese Medicine Sciences, Chengdu, P.R. China; Source Info: Apr2016, Vol. 39 Issue 2, p174; Subject Term: IN vitro toxicity testing; Subject Term: TIBETAN medicine; Subject Term: DISSOLUTION (Chemistry); Subject Term: CELL-mediated cytotoxicity; Subject Term: BIOSAFETY; Subject Term: OXIDATIVE stress; Author-Supplied Keyword: Cytotoxicity; Author-Supplied Keyword: dissolution; Author-Supplied Keyword: mercury; Author-Supplied Keyword: Tibetan medicine; Author-Supplied Keyword: Zuota; NAICS/Industry Codes: 325413 In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing; Number of Pages: 8p; Document Type: Article; Full Text Word Count: 4171
Visibility: Public (group default)
Abstract: (Show)
Zuotais regarded as the king of Tibetan medicine. However, the major starting material ofZuotais mercury, which is one very toxic heavy metal. This has aroused serious doubts on the biosafety ofZuotacontaining drugs. In this study, we quantified the Hg contents in fourZuotasamples, monitored the release of Hg in simulated gastric/intestinal juice and evaluated their cytotoxicity to Caco-2 cells. Our results showed that the Hg contents inZuotasamples were in the range of 566–676 mg/g. Fortunately, the release of Hg fromZuotasamples was very low in simulated gastric juice, and much lower in simulated intestinal juice. Direct contact ofZuotawith Caco-2 cells led to dose-dependent cytotoxicity, including activity loss and membrane leakage. The toxicity was closely related to apoptosis, because the caspase 3/7 levels of Caco-2 cells increased after the exposure toZuota. Interestingly,Zuotasamples inhibited the oxidative stress at low concentrations, but the toxicity could be relived by antioxidants. The possible toxicity should be attributed to the cellular uptake ofZuotaparticulates. Beyond the cytotoxicity, significant differences amongZuotasamples from different institutions were observed, suggesting that the preparation process ofZuotahad meaningful influence of its biosafety. The implications to the safety and clinical applications ofZuotaare discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]