Study of mycotoxin contamination of licorice roots

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription or Fee Access

Abstract

Introduction. Herbal raw materials (HRM) are widely used in medicine. Licorice roots, which are included in many pharmaceutical products, are susceptible to mycotoxin contamination due to the hygroscopicity of their polysaccharides, which creates favourable conditions for the growth of fungi. This leads to decreased quality and safety of the raw materials as a result of the accumulation of mycotoxins (MTs) – toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic metabolites of mould fungi. In the Russian Federation, maximum permissible levels of MTs in HRM have not been established.

Objective: the aim of the study is to investigate the contamination of licorice roots with mycotoxins produced by fungi of the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria and Fusarium.

Material and methods. Thirty samples of licorice roots from different regions of the Russian Federation, CIS and pharmacy network were investigated. The content of 23 MTs was detected by HPLC-MS/MS: aflatoxins (AFL) B1, B2, G1, G2; ochratoxin A (OTA), fumonisins B1 and B2, toxins T-2, HT-2 and T-2 triol, zearalenone, diacetoxysсirpenol (DAS), neosolaniol (NEOS); deoxynivalenol (DON) and its derivatives (3- and 15-acetyl deoxynivalenol (3- and 15-acDON)), citrinin, sterigmatocystin (STC), mycophenolic acid, tentoxin (TE), alternariol, its monomethyl ether and altenuene.

Results. AFL B1 and OTA were detected in 50% of samples, and in 27% of cases the content of AFL B1 exceeded the permissible level of 2 µg/kg established by the European Pharmacopoeia, reaching 6.0 µg /kg. MTs of fungi of the genera Alternaria (TE), Penicillium (OTA), Aspergillus (AFL B1 and STC) and Fusarium (T-2, T-2 triol, NEOS, DON, 3- and 15-acDON and DAS) were detected. The highest contamination was detected in pharmacy samples (61.5% for AFL and OTA; 84.6% for MT fungi of the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria and Fusarium). More than 46% of samples contained two or more MTs, indicating complex contamination.

Conclusion. A significant contamination of licorice roots with mycotoxins has been revealed, which necessitates the introduction of standards for their content in medicinal plant raw materials in the Russian Federation.

About the authors

Ulyana Valeryevna Ivanova

Saint-Petersburg State Chemical and Pharmaceutical University; Federal Research Centre of Nutrition and Biotechnology

Author for correspondence.
Email: ivanova.uliana@spcpu.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8962-9133
SPIN-code: 4190-4003

PhD student at the Department of Pharmacognosy, Research Assistant, Laboratory of Food Enzymology

Russian Federation, Prof. Popova str., 14A, Saint-Petersburg, 197022; Ust’inskii pr., 2/14, Moscow, 109240

Irina Valeryevna Gravel

Saint-Petersburg State Chemical and Pharmaceutical University; I.M. Sechenov First MSMU of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University)

Email: gravel_i_v@staff.sechenov.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3735-2291
SPIN-code: 2844-7091

Professor of the Pharmaceutical Natural Sciences Department, Doctor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor

Russian Federation, Prof. Popova str., 14A, Saint-Petersburg, 197022; Trubetskaya str., 8/2, Mosсow, 119991

Zakhar Andreevich Chalyy

Federal Research Centre of Nutrition and Biotechnology

Email: tokka66@bk.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9371-8163
SPIN-code: 7689-9573

Junior Researcher, Laboratory of Food Enzymology

Russian Federation, Ust’inskii pr., 2/14, Moscow, 109240

Irina Borisovna Sedova

Federal Research Centre of Nutrition and Biotechnology

Email: isedova@ion.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6011-4515
SPIN-code: 6431-9816

Senior Researcher, Laboratory of Food Enzymology, Candidate of Biological Sciences

Russian Federation, Ust’inskii pr., 2/14, Moscow, 109240

Viktor Alexandrovich Tutelyan

Federal Research Centre of Nutrition and Biotechnology; I.M. Sechenov First MSMU of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation (Sechenov University)

Email: tutelyan@ion.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4164-8992
SPIN-code: 5789-3980

Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Food Enzymology, Scientific Director, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Russian Federation, Ust’inskii pr., 2/14, Moscow, 109240; Trubetskaya str., 8/2, Mosсow, 119991

References

  1. Menditto E., Orlando V., De Rosa G., Minghetti P., Musazzi U.M., Cahir C., Kurczewska-Michalak M., Kardas P., Costa E., Sousa Lobo J.M., Almeida I.F. Patient centric pharmaceutical drug product design–The impact on medication adherence. Pharmaceutics. 2020; 12 (1): 44. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12010044
  2. Muyumba N.W., Mutombo S.C., Sheridan H., Nachtergael A., Duez P. Quality control of herbal drugs and preparations: The methods of analysis, their relevance and applications. Talanta Open. 2021; 4: 100070. doi: 10.1016/j.talo.2021.100070
  3. Qin L., Jiang J.Y., Zhang L., Dou X.W., Ouyang Z., Wan L., Yang M.H. Occurrence and analysis of mycotoxins in domestic Chinese herbal medicines. Mycology. 2020; 11 (2): 126–46. doi: 10.1080/21501203.2020.1727578
  4. Ałtyn I., Twarużek M. Mycotoxin contamination concerns of herbs and medicinal plants. Toxins. 2020; 12 (3): 182. doi: 10.3390/toxins12030182
  5. Бойко Н.Н., Бондарев А.В., Жилякова Е.Т., Писарев Д.И., Новиков О.О. Фитопрепараты, анализ фармацевтического рынка Российской Федерации. Научные результаты биомедицинских исследований. 2017; 3 (4): 30–8. doi: 10.18413/2313-8955-2017-3-4-30-38. [Boyko N.N., Bondarev A.V., Zhilyakova E.T., Pisarev D.I., Novikov O.O. Phytopreparations, analysis of the pharmaceutical market of the Russian Federation. Nauchnye rezul’taty biomedicinskikh issledovanij. 2017; 3 (4): 30–8. doi: 10.18413/2313-8955-2017-3-4-30-38 (in Russian)].
  6. Galvez-Llompart M., Zanni R., Manyes L., Meca, G. Elucidating the mechanism of action of mycotoxins through machine learning-driven QSAR models: Focus on lipid peroxidation. Food and Chemical Toxicology. 2023; 182: 114120. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.114120
  7. El-Sayed R., Jebur A.B., Kang W., El-Demerdash F.M.A. An overview on the major mycotoxins in food products: Characteristics, toxicity, and analysis. J. of Future Foods. 2022; 2 (2): 91–102. doi: 10.1016/j.jfutfo.2022.03.002
  8. Juraschek L.M., Kappenberg A., Amelung W. Mycotoxins in soil and environment. Science of the Total Environment. 2022; 814: 152425. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152425
  9. Седова И.Б., Киселева М.Г., Чалый З.А., Ефимочкина Н.Р., Тутельян В.А. Микотоксины в какао-продуктах и плодах рожкового дерева (кэроба), реализуемых на российском рынке. Вопросы питания. 2022; 91 (5): 65–77. https://doi.org/10.33029/0042-8833-2022-91-5-65-77. [Sedova I.B., Kiseleva M.G., Chalyj Z.A., Efimochkina N.R., Tutelyan V.A. Mycotoxins contamination of cocoa products and carob marketed in the Russian Federation. Voprosy pitanija. 2022; 91 (5): 65–77. doi: 10.33029/0042-8833-2022-91-5-65-77 (in Russian)].
  10. Reda F.M., El-Saadony M.T., El-Rayes T.K., Farahat M., Attia G., Alagawany M. Dietary effect of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) on quail performance, carcass, blood metabolites and intestinal microbiota. Poultry Science. 2021; 100 (8): 101266. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2021.101266
  11. Cerulli A., Masullo M., Montoro P., Piacente S. Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra, G. uralensis and G. inflata) and their constituents as active cosmeceutical ingredients. Cosmetics. 2022; 9 (1): 7. doi: 10.3390/cosmetics9010007
  12. Chen A.J., Huang L.F., Wang L.Z., Tang D., Cai F., Gao W.W. Occurrence of toxigenic fungi in ochratoxin A contaminated liquorice root. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A. 2011; 28 (8): 1091–7. doi: 10.1080/19440049.2011.576443
  13. Bhat R., Rai R. V., Karim A.A. Mycotoxins in food and feed: present status and future concerns. Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety. 2010; 9 (1): 57–81. doi: 10.1111/j.1541-4337.2009.00094.x
  14. Huang X., Wang S., Mao D., Miao S., Hu Q., Ji S. Optimized QuEChERS method combined with UHPLC-MS/MS for the simultaneous determination of 15 mycotoxins in liquorice. J. of AOAC International. 2018; 101 (3): 633–42. doi: 10.5740/jaoacint.17-0365
  15. Wei G., Guo X., Liang Y., Liu C., Zhang G., Liang C., Dong L. Occurrence of fungi and mycotoxins in herbal medicines and rapid detection of toxin-producing fungi. Environmental Pollution. 2023; 333: 122082. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122082
  16. Khan R., Anwar F., Ghazali F.M. A comprehensive review of mycotoxins: Toxicology, detection, and effective mitigation approaches. Heliyon. 2024; 10 (8): e28361. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28361
  17. Hamad G.M., Mehany T., Simal-Gandara J., Abou-Alella S., Esua O.J., Abdel-Wahhab M.A., Hafez E.E. A review of recent innovative strategies for controlling mycotoxins in foods. Food Control. 2023; 144: 109350. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.109350
  18. Awuchi C.G., Ondari E.N., Nwozo S., Odongo G.A., Eseoghene I.J., Twinomuhwezi H., Okpala C.O.R. Mycotoxins’ toxicological mechanisms involving humans, livestock and their associated health concerns: A review. Toxins. 2022; 14 (3): 167. doi: 10.3390/toxins14030167
  19. Malekinejad H., Fink-Gremmels J. Mycotoxicoses in veterinary medicine: Aspergillosis and penicilliosis. In Veterinary research forum. 2020; 11 (2): 97–103. doi: 10.30466/vrf.2020.112820.2686
  20. Абрамчук А.В., Карпухин М.Ю. Биологически активный комплекс солодки голой (Glycyrrhiza glábra L.). Вестник биотехнологии. 2020; 2 (23): 4. [Abramchuk A.V., Karpushin M.Yu. Biologically active complex of naked licorice (Glycyrrhiza glábra L.). Vestnik biotekhnologii. 2020; 2 (23): 4 (in Russian)].
  21. Иванова У.В. Загрязнение лекарственного растительного сырья афлатоксинами и охратоксином А. Вестник Башкирского государственного медицинского университета. 2022; 9: 73–9. [Ivanova U.V. Contamination of medicinal plant raw materials with aflatoxins and ochratoxin A. Vestnik Bashkirskogo gosudarstvennogo medicinskogo universiteta. 2022; 9: 73–9 (in Russian)].
  22. Технический регламент Таможенного союза 021/2011 «О безопасности пищевой продукции» от 9 декабря 2011 года No 880, прил. 1–3. [Technical Regulations of the Customs Union 021/2011 “On Food Safety” of December 9, 2011 No 880, Annexes 1–3. (in Russian)].
  23. Huang X., Li Y., Zhang Y., Liu M., Chen J., Wang S. Contamination Status and Health Risk Assessment of 73 Mycotoxins in Four Edible and Medicinal Plants Using an Optimized QuEChERS Pretreatment Coupled with LC-MS/MS. Toxins. 2025; 17 (2): 52. doi: 10.3390/toxins17020052
  24. European Pharmacopoeia, 2011. Council of Europe. European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM), 7th ed.
  25. Государственная фармакопея Российской Федерации XV издания. [Gosudarstvennaja farmakopeja Rossijskoj Federacii XV izdania (in Russian)].
  26. Kumar V., Basu M. S., Rajendran T. P. Mycotoxin research and mycoflora in some commercially important agricultural commodities. Crop protection. 2008; 27 (6): 891–905. doi: 10.1016/j.cropro.2007.12.011

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download

Copyright (c) 2026 Russkiy Vrach Publishing House