Comparative Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Halogenated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Different Parts of Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt

Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt., a medicinal herb and edible plant, is very popular among East Asian countries. The perilla leaves, stems and seeds can be used as traditional medicines and foods. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and halogenated PAHs (HPAHs) are organic pollutants that are widely present in the environment, such as in water, air and soil, and are harmful to humans. In this study, the contents of 16 PAHs and 4 HPAHs in perilla leaves, stems and seeds were determined by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 12 PAHs were detected in all samples, and no HPAHs were detected. The total contents of PAHs in perilla leaves, stems and seeds varied from 41.93 to 415.60 ng/g, 7.02 to 51.52 ng/g and 15.24 to 180.00 ng/g, respectively. The statistical analyses showed that there were significant differences in the distribution of PAHs in perilla leaves, stems and seeds. On the basis of the toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) and incremental lifetime Cancer risk (ILCR) model, the Cancer risks of the intake of perilla leaves, stems and seeds were assessed to be from 3.30 × 10^-8 to 2.11 × 10^-5, 5.52 × 10^-9 to 5.50 × 10^-8 and 1.20 × 10^-8 to 1.41 × 10^-7, respectively. These were lower than 10^-4 (the priority risk level of the EPA) and suggested that there may be almost no Cancer risk from the intake of these traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs).