title: Determination of arsenic speciation and the possible source of methylated arsenic in Panax Notoginseng.
abstract: Arsenic species and a possible source of methylated arsenic in a Panax Notoginseng (PN) medicinal plant were explored to further understand the change of inorganic arsenic to the less toxic methylated form to minimize the health risks associated with its medicinal use. Arsenic speciation in PN from major planting areas was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with hydride generator-atomic fluorescence (HPLC-HG-AFS). Pot experiments were performed to explore the source of methylated arsenic in PN, and the arsenite methyltransferase (arsM) gene abundance was determined using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (q-RTPCR). Methylated arsenic (monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) + dimethylarsinic acid (DMA)) accounted for 43% ± 30% of the total arsenic in PN from planting areas, while the primary species in soil was As(V) (94% ± 0.12%). In the pot experiments, methylated arsenic accounted for 37%-49% of the total arsenic in PN, and As (V) was the primary species in soil (>98%). The four detected arsenic species in PN increased as the amount of As added to soil increased. The methylated arsenic contents in the PN root were significantly positively correlated with the ArsM gene abundance in soil, suggesting that methylated arsenic in PN is likely from the planting soil.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; College of Basic Medical Sciences, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China.
authors.forename: Meilin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; College of Resource Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Xiancai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; College of Resource Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Yanxue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; College of Resource Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoting
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; College of Resource Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Sihong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; College of Resource Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. Electronic address: caohongbin@bnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hongbin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; College of Resource Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Wensheng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D001152:Arsenicals / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D002101:Cacodylic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D053723:Panax notoginseng / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001152:Arsenicals; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002101:Cacodylic Acid; D008780:Methyltransferases; C116338:arsenite methyltransferase; C020300:monomethylarsonic acid
keywords: ArsM; Arsenic speciation; HPLC-HG-AFS; Panax Notoginseng; q-RTPCR