Liver injury associated with the use ofFructus Psoraleae(Bol-gol-zhee or Bu-gu-zhi) and its related proprietary medicine

Abstract

Fructus Psoraleae (FP) is used by herbalists for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, vitiligo, and psoriasis. It is used alone, or in combination with other herbs, in some countries in the form of proprietary medicine. It is recognized as one of the emerging hepatotoxins and here we report three cases of acute hepatitis after exposed to FP and its related proprietary medicine. It seems possible that psoralen and its related chemicals may be responsible for the hepatotoxicity. Decoction with other herbs may result in higher concentration of toxic constituents and in more severe liver injury. In summary, FP is associated with hepatotoxicity in some individuals. Pharmacovigilance for the potential side effects of herbal products is necessary.

Evaluation of hepatotoxicity and cholestasis in rats treated with EtOH extract of Fructus Psoraleae

“…Also, some scientists find hepatotoxicity in C57 mice induced by psoralens whose synthetic forms are 5-methoxypsoralen (bergapten), or 8-methoxypsoralen (xanthotoxin) (Chitturi and Farrell, 2008). What's more, there were some previous clinical reports of hepatitis associated with the use of FP (Cheung et al, 2009;Nam et al, 2005). Some researchers demonstrate that Zhuangguguanjie Wan, a traditional Chinese compound prescription, whose main components include FP, have side-effects related to liver damage (Cheng and Cai, 2000).…”

Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Vitiligo

“…(Arlt et al, 2002;Cosyns et al, 1994;Vanherweghem et al, 1993). Both the hepatotoxicity of Psoralea corylifolia (Teschke & Bahre, 2009, Cheung et al, 2009, and its phototoxicity (Bark et al, 2010) are mentioned due to its possible applications in vitiligo. Ayurvedic medicine as well as TCM acknowledge the risks of the use of arsenic and mercury (Saper et al, 2004).…”

Bavachin Induces Apoptosis through Mitochondrial Regulated ER Stress Pathway in HepG2 Cells

“…1,2) In recent years, increasing clinical reports have indicated potential hepatotoxicity of FP in patients, [3][4][5] for instance, Cheung et al showed three cases of acute hepatitis after exposed to FP and its related medicine such as Bu-gu-zhi intramuscular injection, 3) and concerns grow over the health effects of FP. However, the hepatotoxic components and the mechanism of FP-induced hepatotoxicity are not fully understood.…”