To investigate the cause of liver toxicity induced by Polygoni Multiflori Radix through determining various mycotoxins in it. An UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method was developed and established to simultaneously determine 12 mycotoxins, Aflatoxins B₁, B₂, G₁, G₂, Ochratoxins A and B, Fumonisins B₁ and B₂,T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, Deoxynivalenol and Zearalenone, in rawand processed Polygon iMultiflori Radix. The sample was extracted with modified QuEChERS method, and then was separatedon a WelchUltimate XBC₁₈ column by gradient elution using methanol and 2 mmol•L⁻¹ ammonium acetate aqueous solution containing 0.1% acetic acidas mobile phase. The analytes were detected in MRM mode by mass spectrometry and determined by external standard method. This method made a good linearity in the 0.1-200 μg•kg⁻¹ with correlation coefficients of 0.996 3-0.999 9. The average recoveries of 12 mycotoxins at three spiked concentration levels were ranged from 71.19% to 98.68% with relative standard deviations of 1.7%-13%. This method is simple, sensitive, accurate and suitable for the quantification of 12 mycotoxins in Polygoni Multiflori Radix.As a result, 15 batches were found fungus contamination and total 8 kinds of mycotoxins including AFB₁, AFG₂, FB₁, OTB, T-2, HT-2, FB2 and OTA were detected, and their contentswere between 0.51-1 643.2 μg•kg⁻¹. Among these contaminated samples, AFB1 was detected in one batch of processed Polygoni Multiflori Radix with the content of 6.8 μg•kg⁻¹ beyond its limit standard 5 μg•kg⁻¹. Since AFB₁ has clear liver toxicity, we deduced that the mouldy samples may be one of the important causes of Polygoni Multiflori Radix causing liver toxicity.
Keywords: Polygoni Multiflori Radix; QuEChERS; hepatotoxicity; mycotoxins; ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.
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