Arseculeratne S N, Gunatilaka A A, Panabokke R G
J Ethnopharmacol. 1981 Sep;4(2):159-77. doi: 10.1016/0378-8741(81)90033-7.
There is a paucity of data on the occurrence of hepatotoxic and hepatocarcinogenic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in medicinal plants, and there are no data on the hepatotoxic properties of herbal medicines that are used in the traditional pharmacopoiea of Sri Lanka and other Asian and African countries. In view of the extensive consumption of these herbs and the occurrence of chronic liver diseases including hepatocellular cancer in this and other countries of South Asia, we have screened fifty medicinal plants for pyrrolizidine alkaloids and have obtained positive results with three species, namely Crotalaria verrucosa L., Holarrhena antidysenterica (L.) Br., and Cassia auriculata L. Feeding trials in rats with materials from these three species produced liver lesions--disruption of the centrilobular veins, congestion or haemorrhage in the centrilobular sinusoids, centrilobular or focal hepatocellular necrosis--and histopathology in the lungs and kidneys which were compatible with the action of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. The presence of alkaloids in C. auriculata has not been previously reported nor has the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in H. antidysenterica. It is suggested that the consumption of herbal medicines that contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids could contribute to the high incidence of chronic liver disease including primary hepatocellular cancer in Asian and African countries.
关于药用植物中肝毒性和致癌性吡咯里西啶生物碱的发生情况，数据匮乏，而且对于斯里兰卡以及其他亚洲和非洲国家传统药典中使用的草药的肝毒性特性，尚无相关数据。鉴于这些草药在这些国家广泛使用，且在南亚的该国及其他国家存在包括肝细胞癌在内的慢性肝病，我们对50种药用植物进行了吡咯里西啶生物碱筛查，结果在3个物种中得到阳性结果，即毛野百合、止泻木和耳叶决明。用这3个物种的材料对大鼠进行喂养试验产生了肝脏病变——小叶中央静脉破坏、小叶中央血窦充血或出血、小叶中央或局灶性肝细胞坏死——以及肺和肾的组织病理学变化，这些变化与吡咯里西啶生物碱的作用相符。此前尚未报道过耳叶决明中存在生物碱，也未报道过止泻木中存在吡咯里西啶生物碱。有人提出，食用含有吡咯里西啶生物碱的草药可能是亚洲和非洲国家慢性肝病（包括原发性肝细胞癌）高发的原因之一。
