Izah Sylvester Chibueze, Aigberua Ayobami Omozemoje, Richard Glory
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Bayelsa Medical University, Bayelsa State, Yenagoa, Nigeria.
Department of Environment, Research and Development, Anal Concept Limited, Elelenwo, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2022 Jun;200(6):3009-3022. doi: 10.1007/s12011-021-02879-9. Epub 2021 Sep 24.
The ingestion of toxic metals through liquid herbal medicine over a long period of time, and in excessive dose, may result in chronic accumulation that could cause disorder to several organs of the body. This study evaluated the concentration, source, and probable health risk of 8 trace metals in liquid herbal medicines sold in Nigeria. Triplicate samples of 10 different brands of liquid herbal formulations were analyzed using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Elemental concentrations (mg L) ranged as < 0.00120 (nickel), 0.329-1.23 (zinc), < 0.00150-0.0750 (chromium), 0.565-6.94 (manganese), 1.75-19.4 (iron), < 0.00150-0.266 (cobalt), < 0.0018-3.01 (lead), and < 0.00900-0.0281 (copper). The estimated hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) of trace metals (zinc, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, lead, and copper) were < 1.00, except for one of the herbal products which depicted a value of < 1.50, an indication that there is no major probable health effect due to exposure. Carcinogenic risks were lower than the threshold level of 10.0-10.0; this probably reflects non-existent carcinogenic risk in both age groups. The principal component analysis revealed the likelihood of geogenic and anthropogenic activities as indirect sources of trace metals in the herbs. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, AAB and AHM herbal mixtures showed strong similarities in cluster 1, while the remaining herbs reflected identical association within cluster 2. Based on the results of this study, there is need to periodically monitor levels of toxic metals in herbal medicine in order to ensure regulatory compliance and safeguard the health of its consumers.
长期过量摄入含有毒金属的液体草药可能会导致慢性蓄积，进而引发身体多个器官功能紊乱。本研究评估了尼日利亚市场上销售的液体草药中8种痕量金属的浓度、来源及可能的健康风险。采用火焰原子吸收分光光度计对10种不同品牌液体草药制剂的三份重复样品进行了分析。元素浓度（mg/L）范围为：<0.00120（镍）、0.329 - 1.23（锌）、<0.00150 - 0.0750（铬）、0.565 - 6.94（锰）、1.75 - 19.4（铁）、<0.00150 - 0.266（钴）、<0.0018 - 3.01（铅）以及<0.00900 - 0.0281（铜）。痕量金属（锌、铬、锰、铁、钴、铅和铜）的估计危害商（HQ）和危害指数（HI）均<1.00，但有一种草药产品的值<1.50，这表明接触这些金属不太可能对健康造成重大影响。致癌风险低于10.0 - 10.0的阈值水平；这可能反映了两个年龄组中不存在致癌风险。主成分分析表明，地质活动和人为活动可能是草药中痕量金属的间接来源。通过层次聚类分析，AAB和AHM草药混合物在聚类1中显示出很强的相似性，而其余草药在聚类2中呈现出相同的关联。基于本研究结果，有必要定期监测草药中有毒金属的含量，以确保符合监管要求并保障消费者健康。
