LC-MS/MS Method for Analysis of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids (PAs) in Herbal Teas

User Benefits

- This analytical method for simultaneous analysis of 28 pyrrolizidine alkaloids in herbal teas is capable of qualitative and quantitative analysis. - The verification for established method was evaluated in terms of linearity, LOQ, recovery rate and the reliable results were obtained.

Introduction

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are natural toxic substances produced by plants to protect themselves from the outside and are known to damage the human liver. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified some of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids into Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans) and Group 3 (unclassifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans). The basic structure of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is two aromatic pentanes containing the nitrogen. Currently, there are no safety standards for pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Korea, except for bee pollen products. However, detection cases of pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been reported both domestic and foreign for herbal teas, plants in the Asteraceae, honey and some herbal medicines. Therefore, this newsletter introduces the LC-MS/MS analysis method for detecting pyrrolizidine alkaloids in herbal teas and aims to help establish safety standards.

June 13, 2023 GMT