A review of cinnabar (HgS) and/or realgar (As 4 S 4 )-containing traditional medicines

Liu, Jie; Wei, Lixin; Wang, Qi; Lu, Yuan‐Fu; Zhang, Feng; Shi, Jiannong; Li, Cen; Cherian, M. George

doi:10.1016/j.jep.2017.08.037

Cited by 82 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…We present the identification of cinnabar (α-HgS) for the first time in the archaeological record of northern Chile. Cinnabar is a toxic mineral, which becomes more toxic when subjected to thermal processes above 300°C because highly toxic gases of Hg 0 and SO 2 are released (Williams et al 1999;Berglund et al 2005;Liu et al 2008Liu et al , 2018Wei et al 2008;Sherman et al 2013;Wang et al 2015). The ability to characterize this metallic element isotopically opens up the possibility of tracking its geological source and following its dispersion during mining, metallurgy and/or contamination (Williams et al 1999;Berglund et al 2005;Llanos et al 2011;Sherman et al 2013;Balland-Bolou-Bi et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxic Pigment in aCapacochaBurial: Instrumental Identification of Cinnabar in Inca Human Remains from Iquique, Chile

et al. 2018

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We report on the analysis of a red pigment found in a lavish Inca burial from Cerro Esmeralda, Chile, associated with the human sacrifice of two young girls. The outcome shows that the red pigment is mainly cinnabar, with 95% of HgS content. Cinnabar is rarely found in the archaeological record of Chile. Thus, we propose that our results are another line of evidence supporting Iquique's Cerro Esmeralda inhumation as a unique Inca ritual. It was a special lower‐elevation capacocha burial, most probably undertaken to politically and symbolically incorporate the coastal people into the Tawantinsuyo Empire.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxic Pigment in aCapacochaBurial: Instrumental Identification of Cinnabar in Inca Human Remains from Iquique, Chile

et al. 2018

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“…Minerals (metals) in traditional medicines are the matter of debate on their e cacy and toxicity potentials [7,20]. In the present research, we examined the effects of β-HgS-containing Zuotai and Zuotaicontaining 70W on hepatic CYP 1-4 and CYP-7 families, and their corresponding nuclear receptors, compared to HgCl 2 and MeHg at both mRNA and protein levels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Tibetan medicine has thousand years of history and is still used in the world today for a variety of diseases, including liver diseases [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Herbal-metallic preparations are believed to assist the delivery of drugs to the target, contribute to therapeutic effects, and reduce toxicity [7,20]. 70W is one of famous Tibetan medicines listed in the 2015 Edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia in the treatment of various diseases [3][4][5][6][7].…”

Section: Zuotai In Tibetan Medicinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Zuotai (β-HgS)-containing 70 Wei Zhen-Zhu-Wan (Rannasangpei) differs from mercury chloride and methylmercury on hepatic cytochrome P450

Nie¹,

Xu²,

Lu³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Zuotai (mainly β-HgS)-containing 70 Wei-Zhen-Zhu-Wan (70W, Rannasangpei ) is a famous Tibetan medicine for cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases. We have shown that 70W protected against CCl 4 hepatotoxicity. CCl 4 is metabolized via cytochrome P450 (CYP450) to produce reactive metabolites. Whether 70W has any effect on CYP450 is unknown and such effects should be compared with mercury compounds for safety evaluation. Methods: Mice were given 70W (0.15-1.5 g/kg, po), Zuotai (30 mg/kg, po), HgCl 2 (33.6 mg/kg, po) and MeHg (3.1 mg/kg, po) for 7 days. Liver RNA and protein were isolated for qPCR and Western-blot analysis. Results: 70W and Zuotai had no effects on hepatic Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and CYP1A2, but HgCl 2 and MeHg increased Cyp1a2 mRNA and CYP1A2 protein levels;70W and Zuotai had no effects on constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) ,CYP2B andCYP2E1 expressions, but HgCl 2 increased CAR and Cyp2b10 mRNA, HgCl 2 and MeHg increased CYP2B and CYP2E1 protein expressions; 70W and mercury compounds had no apparent effects on the expression of pregnane X receptor (PXR) and Cyp3a11 mRNA, as well as CYP3A proteins. 70W and mercury compounds had no apparent effects on the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) and CYP4A; but HgCl 2 tended to increase Cyp4a10 mRNA and CYP4A protein expressions. 70W and Zuotai had no apparent effects on the expression of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and Cyp7a1 , while HgCl 2 and MeHg increased CYP7A1 expression. Conclusions: Zuotai and Zuotai-containing 70W at clinical doses had minimal influence on hepatic CYPs, and the effects of 70W and Zuotai on CYP and corresponding nuclear receptors are different from HgCl 2 and MeHg.

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“…Cinnabar (96% as HgS) has long been used for its sedative and hypnotic effects in TCM prescriptions [ 1 , 2 ], such as Zhusha Anshen Wan (ZSASW) [ 3 ], An-Gong-Niu-Huang Wan [ 4 ], etc. Although cinnabar has many special medical effects, the safety of cinnabar is becoming of more and more concern to the public due to the toxic effects caused by the high mercury content [ 5 ]. The actual Hg content in ZSASW is about 11–13%, i.e., 110 mg Hg/g, which is 110,000 times higher than the European Drug and Food Standards (1 μg Hg/g) [ 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

1H-NMR-Based Metabonomics of the Protective Effect of Coptis chinensis and Berberine on Cinnabar-Induced Hepatotoxicity and Nephrotoxicity in Rats

Wang

Gao

et al. 2017

Molecules

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Coptis chinensis Franch has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treating infectious and inflammatory diseases for over two thousand years. Berberine (BN), an isoquinoline alkaloid, is the main component of Coptis chinensis. The pharmacological basis for its therapeutic effects, which include hepatoprotective effects on liver injuries, has been studied intensively, yet the therapy of liver injuries and underlying mechanism remain unclear. We investigated the detoxification mechanism of Coptis chinensis and berberine using metabolomics of urine and serum in the present study. After the treatment with Coptis chinensis and berberine, compared with the cinnabar group, Coptis chinensis and berberine can regulate the concentration of the endogenous metabolites. PLS-DA score plots demonstrated that the urine and serum metabolic profiles in rats of the Coptis chinensis and berberine groups were similar those of the control group, yet remarkably apart from the cinnabar group. The mechanism may be related to the endogenous metabolites including energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism and metabolism of intestinal flora in rats. Meanwhile, liver and kidney histopathology examinations and serum clinical chemistry analysis verified the experimental results of metabonomics.

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A review of cinnabar (HgS) and/or realgar (As 4 S 4 )-containing traditional medicines

Cited by 82 publications

References 47 publications

Toxic Pigment in aCapacochaBurial: Instrumental Identification of Cinnabar in Inca Human Remains from Iquique, Chile

Toxic Pigment in aCapacochaBurial: Instrumental Identification of Cinnabar in Inca Human Remains from Iquique, Chile

Zuotai (β-HgS)-containing 70 Wei Zhen-Zhu-Wan (Rannasangpei) differs from mercury chloride and methylmercury on hepatic cytochrome P450

1H-NMR-Based Metabonomics of the Protective Effect of Coptis chinensis and Berberine on Cinnabar-Induced Hepatotoxicity and Nephrotoxicity in Rats

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