title: Encapsulation of Aconitine in Self-Assembled Licorice Protein Nanoparticles Reduces the Toxicity In Vivo.
abstract: Many herbal medicines and compositions are clinically effective but challenged by its safety risks, i.e., aconitine (AC) from aconite species. The combined use of Radix glycyrrhizae (licorice) with Radix aconite L. effectively eliminates toxicity of the later while increasing efficacy. In this study, a boiling-stable 31-kDa protein (namely GP) was purified from licorice and self-assembled into nanoparticles (206.2 ± 2.0 nm) at pH 5.0, 25 °C. The aconitine-encapsulated GP nanoparticles (238.2 ± 1.2 nm) were prepared following the same procedure and tested for its toxicity by intraperitoneal injection on ICR mouse (n = 8). Injection of GP-AC nanoparticles and the mixed licorice-aconite decoction, respectively, caused mild recoverable toxic effects and no death, while the aconitine, particle-free GP-AC mixture and aconite decoction induced sever toxic effects and 100 % death. Encapsulation of poisonous alkaloids into self-assembled herbal protein nanoparticles contributes to toxicity attenuation of combined use of herbs, implying a prototype nanostructure and a universal principle for the safer clinical applications of herbal medicines.
authors.affiliation: Food Nutrition Sciences Centre, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Room 407, No. 1 Laboratory Bld., No. 149 Jiaogong Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, 310012, Zhejiang Province, China. lijingke@zjgsu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Li-Jing
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.affiliation: Food Nutrition Sciences Centre, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Room 407, No. 1 Laboratory Bld., No. 149 Jiaogong Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, 310012, Zhejiang Province, China. gaoguanzhen@zjgsu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Guan-Zhen
authors.initials: GZ
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology, Fuzhou University, No. 523 Gongye Road, Gulou District, Fuzhou, 350002, China. 823167516@qq.com.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Food Nutrition Sciences Centre, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Room 407, No. 1 Laboratory Bld., No. 149 Jiaogong Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, 310012, Zhejiang Province, China. jianwuzhou@zjgsu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jian-Wu
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Food Nutrition Sciences Centre, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Room 407, No. 1 Laboratory Bld., No. 149 Jiaogong Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, 310012, Zhejiang Province, China. pingfanrao@zjgsu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Ping-Fan
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Rao
keywords: Aconitine encapsulation; Protein nanoparticles; Radix aconite lateralis preparata; Radix glycyrrhizae; Toxicity reduction