Adverse Effects of Hydroalcoholic Extracts and the Major Components in the Stems ofImpatiens balsaminaL. onCaenorhabditis elegans.
Impatiens balsaminaL. (Balsaminaceae), an annual herb found throughout China, has been extensively used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, our knowledge regarding the adverse effects ofI. balsaminain vivo is very limited. In this present study, the nematodeCaenorhabditis elegansmodel was employed to fully assess the adverse effects of hydroalcoholic (EtOH 55%) extracts ofI. balsaminastems (HAEIBS) in vivo. After exposure to 10 mg/mL HAEIBS, the major organism-level endpoints ofC.elegansof percent survival, frequency of head thrash and body bends, and reproduction had decreased by 24%, 30%, and 25%, respectively. The lifespan ofC. eleganswas also greatly reduced after HAEIBS exposure compared to the controls. The active compounds in HAEIBS were separated using high speed countercurrent chromatograph (HSCCC) and characterized by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Two compounds, lawsone and 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (MNQ), and their adverse effects were then more thoroughly detailed in this study. It was found that lawsone is the major toxin in HAEIBS with a higher toxicity than MNQ in terms of negative impact onC. elegansmortality, locomotion, reproduction, and lifespan. Our data also suggests that theC. elegansmodel may be useful for assessing the possible toxicity of other Chinese medicines, plant extracts, and/or compounds.
College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China; Nanjing Institute for Comprehensive Utilization of Wild Plant, Nanjing 210042, China.
Hong-Fang
0000-0001-5142-811X
HF
Jiang
School of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Life Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213264, China.
Zi-Heng
ZH
Zhuang
Nanjing Institute for Comprehensive Utilization of Wild Plant, Nanjing 210042, China.
Bei-Wei
BW
Hou
Nanjing Institute for Comprehensive Utilization of Wild Plant, Nanjing 210042, China.
Bao-Jun
BJ
Shi
College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.
Cheng-Jie
CJ
Shu
Nanjing Institute for Comprehensive Utilization of Wild Plant, Nanjing 210042, China.
Lei
L
Chen
College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.
Guo-Xin
0000-0003-2366-5892
GX
Shi
College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China; Nanjing Institute for Comprehensive Utilization of Wild Plant, Nanjing 210042, China.
Wei-Ming
0000-0002-1953-4016
WM
Zhang