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Zuotai and cinnabar(96%HgS) are contained in many traditional medicines. To examine their potential effects on drug metabolism genes, mice were orally given Zuotai or HgS at doses of 10, 30, 100, 300 mg•kg⁻¹ for 7 days. HgCl2(33.6 mg•kg⁻¹) was gavaged for control. Twenty-four hour later after the last administration, livers were collected, and expressions of genes related to metabolic enzymes and transporters were examined. Zuotai and HgS had no effects on major phase-1, phase-2 and transporter genes; HgCl2 increased the expressions of CYP2B10, CYP4A10, OATP1A4, UGT1A1, UGT2A3, SULT1A1, SULT2A1, MRP1, MRP3 and MRP4; expression of OATP1A1 was decreased by HgCl2, but not by Zuotai and HgS. Therefore, Zuotai and HgS have different adverse effects on drug-metabolizing genes from HgCl2., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.)

α-HgS is the main component of traditional Chinese medicine cinnabar, while β-HgS is the main component of Tibetan medicine Zuotai. However, there was no comparative study on the dissolution and absorption in gastrointestinal tract and bioaccumulation in organs of mercury in Cinnabar, Zuotai, α-HgS and β-HgS. In this study, the dissolution process of the four compounds in the human gastrointestinal tract was simulated to determine the mercury dissolutions and compare the mercury dissolution of different medicines and the dissolution-promoting capacity of different solutions. To explore the absorption and bioaccumulation of cinnabar and Zuotai in organisms, mice were orally administered with clinical equivalent doses cinnabar and Zuotai. Meanwhile, a group of mice was given α-HgS and β-HgS with the equivalent mercury with cinnabar, while another group was given β-HgS and HgCl2 with the equivalent mercury with Zuotai. The mercury absorption and bioaccumulation capacities of different medicines in mice and their mercury bioaccumulation in different tissues and organs were compared. The experimental results showed a high mercury dissolutions of Zuotai in artificial gastrointestinal fluid, which was followed by β-HgS, cinnabar and α-HgS. As for the mercury absorption and bioaccumulation in mice, HgCl2 was the highest, β-HgS was the next, and a-HgS was slightly higher than cinnabar. The organs with the mercury bioaccumulation from high to low were kidney, liver and brain. This study is close to clinical practices and can provide reference for the clinical safe medication as well as a study model for the safety evaluation on heavy metal-containing medicines by observing the mercury dissolution, absorption, distribution and accumulation of mercury-containing medicines cinnabar and zuotai.

Zuotai (gTso thal) is a typical representative of Tibetan medicines containing heavy metals, but there is still lack of modem safety evaluation data so far. In this study, acute toxicity test, sub-acute toxicity test, one-time administration mercury distribution experiment, long-term mercury accumulative toxicity experiment and preliminary study on clinical safety of Compound Dangzuo were conducted in the hope of obtain the medicinal safety data of Zuotai. In the acute toxicity test, half of KM mice given the lethal dose of Zuotai were not died or poisoned, and LD50 was not found. The maximum tolerated dose of Zuotai was 80 g x kg(-1). In the subacute toxicity test, Zuotai could reduce ALT, AST, Crea levels in serums under low dose (13.34 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and medium dose (53.36 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)), with significant difference under low dose, and increase the levels of ALT, AST, MDA, Crea in serums under high dose (2 000 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)); besides, the levels of BUN and GSH in serums reduced with the increase in dose of Zuotai, indicating a significant dose-effect relationship. In the one-time administration distribution experiment, the content of mercury in rat kidney, liver and lung increased after the one-time administration with Zuotai, with a significant dose-dependent relationship in kidney. In the long-term mercury accumulative toxicity experiment, KM mice were administered with equivalent doses of Zuotai for 4.5 months and then stopped drug administration for 1.5 months. Since the 2.5th month, they showed significant mercury accumulation in kidney, which gradually reduced after drug withdrawal, without significant change in mercury content in liver, spleen and brain and ALT, AST, TBIL, BUN and Crea in serum. At the 4.5th month after drug administration, KM mice showed slight structural changes in kidney, liver and spleen tissues, and gradually recovered to normal after drug withdrawal. Besides, no significant difference in weight gain was found between the Zuotai group and the control group. According to the findings of the clinical safety study of Dangzuo, after subjects administered Dangzuo under clinical dose for one month, their serum biochemical indicators, blood routine indicators and urine routine indicators showed no significant adverse change. This study proved that traditional Tibetan medicine Zuotai was slightly toxic, with a better safety in clinical combined administration and no adverse effects on bodies under the clinical dose and clinical medication cycle. However, long-term high-dose administration of Zuotai may have a certain effect on kidney.

Objective: To study the chemical constituents of Geranium eristemon., Method: Chromatography and spectral analysis were used to isolate the constituents and elucidate their structures., Result: Five compounds were isolated from acetone extract of the whole grass of G. eristemon, and identified as beta-sitosterol, protocatechuic acid, myricetin, kaempferol-7-O-alpha-L-arabifuranoside and kaempferol-3-O-alpha-L-arabifuranoside., Conclusion: kaempferol-7-O-alpha-L-arabifuranoside and kaempferol-3-O-alpha-L-arabifuranoside were isolated from G. genus for the first time.

Objective: To studying changes of evodiamine and rutaecarpine in E. rutaecarpa after compatibility with C. chinensis., Method: An YWG C18 column was used with a mobile phase of CH3CN-H2O(40:60), the flow rate was 1.0 ml.min-1 and the detection wavelength was 290 nm., Result: The average recovery was 97.82% and 97.00%, the relative standard deviation was 0.81% and 1.10% for evodiamine and rutaecarpine respectively., Conclusion: The amounts of evodiamine and rutaecarpine were decreased after compatibility with C. chinensis.

Objective: Comparing the contents of total flavonoides of Rhizoma Arisaematis, which collected in different time, regions, different varieties and processed., Method: Determining the contents by ultraviolet spectro-photometry., Result and Conclusion: The contents were found in the following sequence: 1. the end of July, the begin of July, August, September; 2. Beijing, Shanxi, Sichuan, Anhui; 3. Arisaema erubenscens, A. heterophyllum, A. amurense; 4. unprocessed product, processed product.

Objective: A fingerprint of raw material, extracted and injections of radix notoginseng has been studied and provides the quality information., Method: Polaris C18-A column was used, with mixtures of acetonitrile and water as mobile phase in a gradient mode. The wavelength of measurement was 203 nm., Result: According to the selected chromatographic conditions, a good fingerprint of radix notoginseng and its extract, preparation has been described., Conclusion: The method is simple, accurate with good reproducibility. It may be practical value for the quality control of sample for radix notoginseng and its preparation.

Objective: Studying changes of chemical constituents of Cinnamomum cassia after compatibility in Coptis chinensis; determining the amount of cinnamic acid in the decoction., Method: An YWG C18 column was used with a mobile phase of CH3CN-0.01% H3PO4(27:73), the flow rate was 1.0 ml.min-1 and the detection wavelength was 280 nm., Result and Conclusion: The calibration curve of cinnamic acid had good linear relationship in the range of 0.112-4.48 micrograms. The average recovery was 100.0%, the relative standard deviation was 0.66%. The amount of cinnamic acid was decreased in the decoction, and the decreased degree was related with the ratio of C. chinensis to C. cassia.

Objective: To study the chemical compositions of the root and stem of Patrinia scabiasaefolia., Method: Five compounds were obtained from the ethy acetate extract of the root and stem of P. scabiasaefolia by silica column chromatography, and identified by chemical and spectroscopic analysis., Result: The compounds were identified as 2'-acetyl-3-O-beta-arabinopyranosyl-hederagenin, 28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-oleanolic acid, 3-O-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1 -->3)-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-hederagenin and 3-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-oleanolic acid., Conclusion: These compounds were obtained from the plant of P. scabiasaefolia for the first time.

Analysis has been carried out by GC-MS on the essential oil from the crude drug Evodia rutaecarpa and its Glycyrrihiza uralensis processed product, vinegar processed product and salt processed product. The total amount of essential oil decreases in the order of crude drug, vinegar processed, G. uralensis processed and salt processed products. The results of GC-MS analysis show that the constituents of the essential oil from the crude drug and its G. uralensis processed product are markedly different, and the contents of these constituents vary significantly.

The results of the experiment showed that Daphne genkwa was slightly different from its processed product in the content and color of essential oil. The result of stimulation experiment showed that the essential oil had certain stimulation to eye-conjunctive of rabbits. The stimulation diminishes after processing with vinegar.