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Quantitative Removal of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids from Essential Oils by the Hydrodistillation Step in Their Manufacturing Process
- Source :
- Planta medica. 88(7)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are naturally occurring toxins produced by certain weeds that can, if accidentally co-harvested, contaminate plant-based food, feed, and herbal medicinal products. Focusing on herbal medicinal products, the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is restricted by regulatory prescribed thresholds to assure patient safety. Among the multitude of different herbal active substances utilized in herbal medicinal products, the class of pharmaceutically effective essential oils is considered to exhibit a negligible contribution to pyrrolizidine alkaloid contamination. Within the present investigation, this hypothesis should be scientifically scrutinized. For this purpose, an experimental set-up was chosen that reproduces the typical manufacturing step of hydrodistillation. Essential oils of eucalyptus and lemon were selected exemplarily and spiked with 3 representative pyrrolizidine alkaloids (retrorsine, retrorsine-N-oxide, and lycopsamine), whereupon hydrodistillation was performed. Analysis of the resulting distillates by LC-MS/MS proved that artificially added pyrrolizidine alkaloids were removed completely. Moreover, quantitative pyrrolizidine alkaloid recovery in the aqueous phases was observed. Hence, it was experimentally confirmed that herbal medicinal products employing hydrodistilled essential oils of pharmaceutical quality are intrinsically free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids due to the particularities of their manufacturing process. Furthermore, it can be concluded from theoretical considerations that essential oils produced by cold pressing have a negligible risk of carrying pyrrolizidine alkaloid contamination. Our findings provide a strong indication that the requirement for analytical pyrrolizidine alkaloid testing of essential oils for pharmaceutical use should be fundamentally reconsidered.
- Subjects :
- Pyrrolizidine alkaloid
Pharmaceutical Science
01 natural sciences
Analytical Chemistry
03 medical and health sciences
chemistry.chemical_compound
Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Drug Discovery
Oils, Volatile
Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids
030304 developmental biology
Pharmacology
0303 health sciences
Plants, Medicinal
Traditional medicine
Manufacturing process
Organic Chemistry
0104 chemical sciences
Lycopsamine
010404 medicinal & biomolecular chemistry
Complementary and alternative medicine
chemistry
Pharmaceutical Preparations
Pyrrolizidine
Molecular Medicine
Chromatography, Liquid
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14390221
- Volume :
- 88
- Issue :
- 7
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Planta medica
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....d00d5d312ba11aff84cc17ceea3e5b45