To detect the residues of 6 kinds of heavy metals in Polygonatum cyrtonema from different producing areas and conduct health risk assessment.

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to determine the heavy metal residues in Polygonatum cyrtonema from different producing areas. The estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ) and lifetime cancer risk (LCR) were applied to evaluate the health risks of Polygonatum cyrtonema from different producing areas.

Compared with the heavy metal limit standards of the Chinese pharmacopoeia and other countries, the levels of As and Cu in Polygonatum cyrtonema from different producing areas did not exceed the standards. Among them, the Cd content in Polygonatum cyrtonema from 4 producing areas (Shang Shuli, Rongcheng, Jingde, Xihua) exceeded the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard, and the Pb content in Polygonatum cyrtonema from 4 producing areas (Shang Shuli, Rongcheng_, Xihua, Shien) exceeded the standard specified in the Chinese pharmacopoeia. However, when compared with standards of other countries, the Cd content in Polygonatum cyrtonema from 10 producing areas exceeded the standards to varying degrees, and the Pb content exceeded the standards of 4 countries. In comparison with the chromium (Cr) standards of Canada and the United States, the Cr content in Polygonatum cyrtonema from all 15 producing areas exceeded the limits. For the EDI, except for the Cd in Polygonatum cyrtonemafrom Shang Shuli, Rongcheng and Xihua (with values of 0.001301, 0.001190 and 0.002751 respectively, which exceeded the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) limit of 0.00083, the heavy metal content in other Polygonatum cyrtonema samples did not exceed the PTDI limits. The target hazard quotient (THQ) analysis showed that, except for Hg in Polygonatum cyrtonema from Shang Shuli (with a value of 1.172466, indicating a non-carcinogenic risk), the risk levels of other single heavy metal elements in all sample sites were less than 1. Regarding the total non-carcinogenic risk, the values in Shang Shuli and Xihua reached 1.240582 and 1.476055 respectively, suggesting that the intake of Polygonatum cyrtonema from these two areas may pose non-carcinogenic risks due to heavy metals, while no such risks existed in other sample sites. For carcinogenic risks, unacceptable carcinogenic risks were found in a large number of sample sites.

The assessment results of EDI and non-carcinogenic risk index of heavy metals show that the health risks of heavy metals in Polygonatum cyrtonema to humans are relatively low. However, in the carcinogenic risk assessment, unacceptable carcinogenic risks are found in many producing areas. Therefore, it is necessary to attach importance to the heavy metal pollution of Polygonatum cyrtonema, strengthen the detection of heavy metals, so as to ensure the safety of traditional Chinese medicine and protect human life and health.