title: The sulfur-fumigation reduces chemical composition and biological properties of Angelicae Sinensis Radix.
abstract: Angelica Sinensis Radix (roots of Angelica sinensis; ASR) is a popular herbal supplement in China for promoting blood circulation. Today, sulfur-fumigation is commonly used to treat ASR as a means of pest control; however, the studies of sulfur-fumigation on the safety and efficacy of ASR are very limited. Here, we elucidated the destructive roles of sulfur-fumigation on ASR by chemical and biological assessments. After sulfur-fumigation, the chemicals in ASR were significantly lost. The biological activities of anti-platelet aggregation, induction of NO production and estrogenic properties were compared between the water extracts of non-fumigated and sulfur-fumigated ASR. In all cases, the sulfur-fumigation significantly reduced the biological properties of ASR. In addition, application of water extract deriving from sulfur-fumigated ASR showed toxicity to cultured MCF-7 cells. In order to ensure the safety and to achieve the best therapeutic effect, it is recommended that sulfur-fumigation is an unacceptable approach for processing herbal materials.
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Road, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Janis Ya-Xian
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.affiliation: Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Road, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Road, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Cathy Wen-Chuan
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Hanshan Normal University, Chaozhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Ken Yu-Zhong
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Road, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Wendy Li
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Road, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Road, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Tina Ting-Xia
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Zi-Ren
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Division of Life Science and Center for Chinese Medicine, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Road, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: botsim@ust.hk.
authors.forename: Karl Wah-Keung
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Tsim
mesh_terms: D029971:Angelica sinensis / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005651:Fumigation; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D010974:Platelet Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects; D011817:Rabbits; D013455:Sulfur / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D013455:Sulfur
keywords: Angelica Sinensis Radix; Biological function; Chemical composition; Sulfur-fumigation