Liu YuGuo, Shi Ming, Liu XiaoShan, Xie JinYing, Yang RunHuang, Ma QiaoWei, Guo LianXian
Dongguan Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, China.
PeerJ. 2021 Mar 9;9:e11023. doi: 10.7717/peerj.11023. eCollection 2021.
Chinese cordyceps (Lepidoptera: )is a larval-fungus complex. The concentration and distribution of arsenic (As) may vary during the stroma (ST) germination process and between the sclerotium (SC) and the ST. The soil-to-Chinese cordyceps system is an environmental arsenic exposure pathway for humans. We studied the As concentration in the soil, the SC, and the ST of Chinese cordyceps, and performed a risk assessment.
Soil and Chinese cordyceps samples were collected from the Tibetan Plateau in China. The samples were analyzed for the total As concentration and As species determination, which were conducted by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and HPLC-ICP-MS, respectively.
The concentration of total As in the soil was much higher than in SC and ST. The major As species in the soil was inorganic As. In SC and ST, organic As was predominant, and the majority of As was an unknown organic form. There are significant differences in the As distribution and composition in soil, SC, and ST. Our risk assessment indicated that chronic daily ingestion was higher than inhalation and dermal exposure in children and adults. The hazard index () of the non-carcinogenic and cancer risks () for human health were ≤ 1 and < 1 × 10, respectively.
The Chinese cordyceps possesses highly-efficient detoxifying characteristics and has a significant role in As transformation during its life cycle. We found that the levels of As in soils from the habitat of Chinese cordyceps were higher than the soil background values in China, but the probability for incurring health risks remained within the acceptable levels for humans.
中华虫草（鳞翅目： ）是一种幼虫 - 真菌复合体。在子座（ST）萌发过程中以及菌核（SC）和子座之间，砷（As）的浓度和分布可能会有所不同。土壤 - 中华虫草系统是人类环境砷暴露的一条途径。我们研究了中华虫草的土壤、菌核和子座中的砷浓度，并进行了风险评估。
从中国青藏高原采集土壤和中华虫草样本。分别通过电感耦合等离子体质谱（ICP - MS）和高效液相色谱 - 电感耦合等离子体质谱（HPLC - ICP - MS）对样本进行总砷浓度分析和砷形态测定。
土壤中总砷浓度远高于菌核和子座中的浓度。土壤中的主要砷形态是无机砷。在菌核和子座中，有机砷占主导，且大部分砷是未知的有机形态。土壤、菌核和子座中的砷分布及组成存在显著差异。我们的风险评估表明，儿童和成人经口慢性每日摄入量高于吸入和经皮暴露量。对人类健康的非致癌风险危害指数（ ）≤1，致癌风险（ ）<1×10 。
中华虫草具有高效解毒特性，在其生命周期中对砷的转化具有重要作用。我们发现中华虫草栖息地土壤中的砷含量高于中国土壤背景值，但引发健康风险的概率仍在人类可接受水平之内。
