Comparative study on the hepatotoxicity of Polygonum cuspidatum and its three processed products
- VernacularTitle:虎杖生品及其3种炮制品的肝毒性比较研究
- Author:
Jiaxin LI
1
;
Shiwei WANG
1
Author Information
1. Dept. of Pharmacy，Shanxi Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine/Shanxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Taiyuan 030012，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Polygonum cuspidatum;
raw drug;
processed
- From:
China Pharmacy
2025;36(24):3060-3065
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To compare the hepatotoxicity of raw Polygonum cuspidatum and its vinegar-processed， ginger- processed， and wine-processed products in mice. METHODS Acute toxicity was assessed using the maximum tolerated dose approach. Male Kunming mice were randomly assigned to blank group， raw drug group， vinegar-processed group， ginger-processed group and wine-processed group， with 16 mice in each group. Mice in the treatment groups received oral gavage of the corresponding preparation at a total dose of 192 g/kg （single gavage volume of 40 mL/kg， administered three times at 5-hour interval）. During the experiment， the mortality and general condition of mice in each group were observed. Eight mice from each group were sacrificed at 48 hours， and the remaining eight at 14 days after the last administration. Organ coefficients， serum biochemical indices and liver histopathology were compared among the groups. RESULTS No mortality was observed in any group throughout the study. At 4 hours after the last administration， mice in all treatment groups exhibited transient alterations in urine and feces， which resolved at 14 days after the last administration. No significant differences in body weight or average food intake were observed among groups at any time point （P＞0.05）. At 48 hours after the last administration， all treatment groups showed varying degrees of liver injury， most severe in the wine-processed group， followed by the raw drug group， and mildest in the vinegar- processed group. Compared with the blank group， liver coefficients were significantly elevated in the wine-processed group， while serum levels of alanine transaminase， aspartate transaminase， total bilirubin （TBil） and alkaline phosphatase （ALP） were significantly increased in the raw drug and wine-processed groups. Additionally， the serum levels of TBil and ALP were significantly elevated in the ginger-processed group （P＜0.05）. At 14 days after the last administration， liver histopathology and all quantitative indicators showed partial recovery. Serum levels of liver function parameters were markedly reduced compared with 48 hours after the last administration （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Both raw and processed P. cuspidatum exhibit hepatotoxicity， which is closely associated with the processing method， and the severity of hepatotoxicity follows the order： wine-processed product＞raw product＞ginger-processed product＞vinegar- processed product.
