Li Na, Wang Yuan, Rao Jinqiu, Ma Zicheng, Zhang Bingyang, Dou Zhiying, Wang Kai, Qiu Feng
School of Chinese Materia Medica, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Therapeutic Substance of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Phytochem Anal. 2025 Jan;36(1):234-245. doi: 10.1002/pca.3435. Epub 2024 Aug 6.
Frankincense is used for analgesic, tumor-suppressive, and anti-inflammatory treatments in Traditional Chinese Medicine but poses toxicological concerns. Vinegar processing is a common technique used to reduce the toxicity of frankincense.
This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition and quality evaluation of raw and vinegar-processing frankincense by multiple UPLC-MS/MS techniques. Additionally, we purposed refining the vinegar processing technique and identifying potentially harmful ingredients in the raw frankincense.
Sub-chronic oral toxicity studies were conducted on raw and vinegar-processing frankincense in rats. The composition of frankincense was identified by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Chemometrics were used to differentiate between raw and vinegar-processing frankincense. Potential chemical markers were identified by selecting differential components, which were further exactly determined by UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS. Moreover, the viability of the HepG2 cells of those components with reduced contents after vinegar processing was assessed.
The toxicity of raw frankincense is attenuated by vinegar processing, among which vinegar-processing frankincense (R40) (herb weight: rice vinegar weight = 40:1) exhibited the lowest toxicity. A total of 83 components were identified from frankincense, including 40 triterpenoids, 37 diterpenoids, and 6 other types. The contents of six components decreased after vinegar-processing, with the lowest levels in R40. Three components, specifically 3α-acetoxy-11-keto-β-boswellic acid (AKBA), 3α-acetoxy-α-boswellic acid (α-ABA), and 3α-acetoxy-β-boswellic acid (β-ABA), inhibited the viability of HepG2 cells. The processing of frankincense with vinegar at a ratio of 40:1 could be an effective method of reducing the toxicity in raw frankincense.
Our research improves understanding of the toxic substance basis and facilitates future assessments of frankincense quality.
乳香在传统中医中用于止痛、抑瘤和抗炎治疗，但存在毒理学问题。醋制是降低乳香毒性的常用技术。
本研究旨在通过多种超高效液相色谱-串联质谱技术研究生乳香和醋制乳香的化学成分及质量评价。此外，我们旨在优化醋制工艺并鉴定生乳香中潜在的有害成分。
对大鼠进行生乳香和醋制乳香的亚慢性经口毒性研究。通过超高效液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间串联质谱鉴定乳香的成分。采用化学计量学方法区分生乳香和醋制乳香。通过选择差异成分鉴定潜在的化学标志物，再用超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆串联质谱进一步精确测定。此外，评估醋制后含量降低的那些成分对肝癌细胞系HepG2细胞活力的影响。
醋制可降低生乳香的毒性，其中醋制乳香（R40）（药材重量：米醋重量 = 40:1）毒性最低。从乳香中总共鉴定出83种成分，包括40种三萜类、37种二萜类和6种其他类型。醋制后6种成分的含量降低，在R40中含量最低。三种成分，即3α-乙酰氧基-11-酮基-β-乳香酸（AKBA）、3α-乙酰氧基-α-乳香酸（α-ABA）和3α-乙酰氧基-β-乳香酸（β-ABA），抑制HepG2细胞的活力。以40:1的比例用醋制乳香可能是降低生乳香毒性的有效方法。
我们的研究增进了对乳香有毒物质基础的理解，并有助于未来对乳香质量的评估。
