Comprehensive safety assessment of Qiwei Tiexie Pill: integrating histopathological, biochemical, and metabolomic analyses in a rat model
QWTX demonstrated a superior safety profile compared to processed iron powder alone, particularly in preserving renal structure and mitigating iron-associated nephrotoxicity. However, high-dose QWTX still triggered significant oxidative and metabolic stress, underscoring the importance of dose optimization in clinical use. These findings provide a systems-level understanding of the acute toxicological profile of QWTX and processed iron powder, supporting the traditional principles of herbal-metal synergy in Tibetan medicine while highlighting the need for long-term safety studies to evaluate cumulative mineral exposure and chronic metabolic effects.
Authors
- Zi-Wei Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7286-2054)
- Junsong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8935-4969)
- Zhao-Ben Kan
- Qi Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0138-0506)
- Feng Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6122-0611)
- Cong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0547-315X)
- Qian Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4171-9738)
- Wenya Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2475-4352)
- Lü Cui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1417-2967)
- Xin Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9276-2319)
Institutions
- Minzu University of China (CN)
- Nanjing University of Science and Technology (CN)
- China Tibetology Research Center (CN)
- Tibetan Traditional Medical College (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Pharmacology
- Published
- 2025-09-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2025.1567316
- Primary Topic
- Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Nanjing University of Science and Technology
- Nanjing University