Zanthoxylum nitidum 兩面針

POISONOUS PARTS

Roots, leaves and fruits.³

TOXICITY

• Toxic Constituents

  Nitidine, sanguinarine and chelerythrine.⁴

• Toxic Dose

  40 g fresh leaves.⁵

• Mechanism

  Nitidine inhibits topoisomerase. It interferes with replication and transcription of DNA, leading to apoptosis of cells. Sanguinarine and chelerythrine have been demonstrated to form DNA adducts in vitro and are therefore suspected to be genotoxic.^6,7

• Poisoning Features

  Dizziness, vomiting and diarrhoea.^3,5

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

Supportive treatment.

IDENTIFICATION FEATURES

Scandent shrubs, 1–5 m tall. Spines on branches straight, broad and flat at base. Leaves imparipinnate; leaflets (3–)5–11, opposite; leaf blades 3–12 × 1.5–6 cm, margin sparsely shallow-dentate. Inflorescence axillary at shoot apex, rachis pubescent. Flowers yellowish green, petals about 3 mm long. Follicles 5.5–7 mm in diameter, shortly awned at apex. Seeds 5–6 mm in diameter, slightly flat adaxially.⁸

MEDICINAL USES

Roots, or branches and leaves used in TCM: dispel wind and unblock the collaterals, activate blood to resolve stasis, move qi to relieve pain, disperse swelling and remove toxin. Recommended dose: 5–10 g.^2,9–11

LABORATORY ANALYSIS

Nitidine, sanguinarine and chelerythrine can be detected by HPLC-DAD and LC-MS/MS.⁴