收藏切换
A preliminary discussion on the application prospects of modern biotechnology in toxic Chinese medicines including Aristolochia
收藏切换
Qian-yi RONG1, 2, Chun-juan PU1, 2, *, Qi-shuang LI3, Han ZHENG3, Jia-cheng WANG4, Qi-nan WU1, 2, *
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica | 2026, 61(8) : 2914 - 2929
Less
收藏切换
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica | 2026, 61(8): 2914-2929
• Reviews •
A preliminary discussion on the application prospects of modern biotechnology in toxic Chinese medicines including Aristolochia
Full
Qian-yi RONG1, 2, Chun-juan PU1, 2, *, Qi-shuang LI3, Han ZHENG3, Jia-cheng WANG4, Qi-nan WU1, 2, *
Affiliations
  • 1School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
  • 2Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Resources Recycling Utilization of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
  • 3State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
  • 4The First Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
Published: 2026-08-12 doi: 10.16438/j.0513-4870.2026-0261
Outline
收藏切换

Toxic Chinese medicines constitute a significant component of the traditional Chinese medicine system. Taking aristolochic acid-containing herbs as an example, their clinical application and industrial development face severe challenges due to safety incidents caused by aristolochic acid-containing components. The Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China has deleted relevant varieties based on drug safety considerations, which, while mitigating medication risks, also results in the waste of medicinal resources. Existing methods such as processing and combination therapy also have limitations in reducing the toxicity of these herbs, including limited efficacy and difficulties in standardizing processes, making it challenging to balance toxicity control with the preservation of pharmacological effects. Based on this, this paper systematically reviews the deletion of herbal materials and proprietary Chinese medicine formulations from the last five editions of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, summarizing the medicinal value and controversies surrounding herbs derived from the Aristolochia genus, the toxic mechanisms of aristolochic acid, and existing detoxification methods along with their limitations. Addressing these limitations, this paper proposes application strategies for gene editing, enzyme engineering, and fermentation engineering in reducing the toxicity of Aristolochia and other Chinese medicinal herbs, from the perspective of modern biotechnology, and explores new pathways for the precise regulation of the synthesis and degradation of toxic components. Compared with traditional detoxification methods, the use of modern biotechnology holds promise for precisely regulating the synthesis or degradation of toxic components, thereby reducing toxicity while preserving the overall therapeutic efficacy of the herbal materials, with the aim of achieving "detoxification while preserving efficacy". Future efforts should be intensified to verify the botanical sources of toxic Chinese herbal medicines, elucidate the biosynthetic pathways of toxic components, and investigate their toxic mechanisms. Additionally, the development and utilization of toxic Chinese herbal resources should be advanced to promote the high-quality development of traditional Chinese medicine through inheritance, innovation, modernization, and internationalization.

aristolochic acid  /  toxic Chinese medicine  /  Caulis Aristolochiae Manshuriensis  /  biotechnology  /  toxicity reduction
荣千漪, 濮春娟, 李琦爽, 郑汉, 王嘉成, 吴啟南. 现代生物技术在马兜铃等有毒中药中的应用前景刍议. 药学学报, 2026 , 61 (8) : 2914 -2929 . DOI: 10.16438/j.0513-4870.2026-0261
Qian-yi RONG, Chun-juan PU, Qi-shuang LI, Han ZHENG, Jia-cheng WANG, Qi-nan WU. A preliminary discussion on the application prospects of modern biotechnology in toxic Chinese medicines including Aristolochia[J]. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica, 2026 , 61 (8) : 2914 -2929 . DOI: 10.16438/j.0513-4870.2026-0261
Year 2026 volume 61 Issue 8
365
172
Cite this Article
BibTeX
Article Info
doi: 10.16438/j.0513-4870.2026-0261
  • Receive Date:2026-03-10
  • Online Date:2026-09-21
  • Published:2026-08-12
Article Data
Affiliations
History
  • Received:2026-03-10
  • Revised:2026-05-12
Affiliations
    1School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
    2Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, National and Local Collaborative Engineering Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization and Formulae Innovative Medicine, Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Resources Recycling Utilization of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
    3State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-Di Herbs, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
    4The First Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
References
Share
https://castjournals.cast.org.cn/joweb/yxxb/EN/10.16438/j.0513-4870.2026-0261
Share to
QR

Scan QR to access full text

Cite this article
BibTeX
Citations
表12种不同金属材料的力学参数
科
Family
属数
Number of
genus
种数
Number of
species
占总种数比例
Percentage of
total species (%)
属
Genus
种数
Number of
species
占总种数比例
Percentage of total
species (%)
鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae 2 11 5.26 鹅膏菌属 Amanita 10 4.78
小菇科 Mycenaceae 2 12 5.74 丝盖伞属 Inocybe 5 2.39
多孔菌科 Polyporaceae 8 14 6.70 蜡蘑属 Laccaria 5 2.39
红菇科 Russulaceae 3 23 11.00 小皮伞属 Marasmius 6 2.87
小菇属 Mycena 11 5.26
光柄菇属 Pluteus 5 2.39
红菇属 Russula 17 8.13
栓菌属 Trametes 5 2.39
关闭全屏
  • BibTeX
  • EndNote
  • RefWorks
  • TxT