Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 26, 2026
Hydroponics: A Versatile System to Study Nutrient Allocation and Plant Responses to Nutrient Availability and Exposure to Toxic Elements
Published on: July 13, 2016
Dietary cadmium exposure from Panax notoginseng: cadmium accumulation and bioactive composition changes under cadmium
Mingyao Sun1, Yunfei Li2, Wanghai Cai2
1Department of Clinical Nutrition, Shengli Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou University Affiliated Provincial Hospital, Fujian Key Laboratory of Geriatrics Diseases, Fujian Provincial Center for Geriatrics, Fuzhou, China.
Background:
Panax notoginseng is widely used as a dietary supplement for cardiovascular health, but cadmium (Cd) contamination may affect its safety and bioactive composition. A systematic assessment is lacking.
Methods:
We systematically searched Chinese and English databases for experimental studies on Cd residues and bioactive constituents in P. notoginseng under Cd exposure. Random-effects meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, random forest modeling, and consumer intake scenario estimation were performed.
Results:
Cd exposure increased Cd content by 184.17%, with larger increases under high-concentration (250.33%) and long-term (311.44%) exposure. Cd selectively reduced ginsenoside Re (-24.50%), total flavonoids (-24.19%), notoginsenoside R1 (-21.81%), ginsenoside Rd (-19.54%), and ginsenoside Rg1 (-16.05%). Calcium intervention was associated with a lower Cd accumulation response, decreasing the increase in Cd content from 356.67% to 44.22%, although this subgroup finding should be interpreted cautiously due to the limited number of available effect sizes. Under the predefined dietary exposure scenario with an intake of 6 g/day, contaminated P. notoginseng accounted for 6.8% of the provisional tolerable monthly intake (PTMI) for a 60 kg adult, increasing to 8.4% and 9.9% under the high-concentration and long-term exposure scenarios, respectively.
Conclusion:
Cd contamination may affect the quality and chemical safety evaluation of P. notoginseng by increasing Cd residues and altering bioactive constituent profiles. The dietary exposure analysis provides screening-level estimates of the potential contribution of P. notoginseng-derived Cd to dietary Cd intake under defined scenarios rather than a direct assessment of consumer health risk. Quality control should integrate monitoring of Cd residues, key bioactive constituents, processing-related Cd transfer, and actual intake patterns.