Identification and Determination of Food Poisoning Components Contained in Aconitum Roots and Their Toxicity to Mice

Abstract

This investigation was carried out to clarify the cause of food poisoning following the consumption of wild grasses in Yamagata prefecture. The food poisoning was suspected to have been caused by Aconitum roots mixed with edible roots, because the toxic symptoms were similar to those induced by Aconitum plants.
Several aconitine analogues (aconitine, hypaconitine, mesaconitine) present in the food poisoning sample were resolved by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using an ODS column and by liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The contents of mesaconitine was 0.415μg/g, and that of aconitine was 0.153μg/g in the food poisoning sample.
The toxic symptoms in mice given the food poisoning sample (150g/kg, i. p.) were convulsion, vomitting, salivation, diarrhea and death. Mesaconitine (0.1mg/kg, i. p.) showed similar toxic symptoms.
These results led to the conclusion that the food poisoning has been caused by mesaconitine and aconitine from Aconitum roots mixed with the edible plants. Quantitative analysis of wild Aconitum roots collected in Yamagata city confirmed that mesaconitine was the main principle, rather than aconitine or other alkaloids.