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Authentication of the Herbal Medicine Angelicae Dahuricae Radix Using an ITS Sequence-Based Multiplex SCAR Assay.

ABSTRACT: The accurate identification of plant species is of great concern for the quality control of herbal medicines. The Korean Pharmacopoeia and the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China define Angelicae Dahuricae Radix (Baek-Ji in Korean and Bai-zhi in Chinese) as the dried roots of Angelica dahurica or A. dahurica var. formosana belonging to the family Apiaceae. Discrimination among Angelica species on the basis of morphological characteristics is difficult due to their extremely polymorphic traits and controversial taxonomic history. Furthermore, dried roots processed for medicinal applications are indistinguishable using conventional methods. DNA barcoding is a useful and reliable method for the identification of species. In this study, we sequenced the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal RNA genes in A. dahurica, A. dahurica var. formosana, and the related species A. anomala and A. japonica. Using these sequences, we designed species-specific primers, and developed and optimized a multiplex sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) assay that can simply and rapidly identify respective species, and verify the contamination of adulterant depending on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification without sequencing analysis in a single PCR reaction. This assay successfully identified commercial samples of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix collected from Korean and Chinese herbal markets, and distinguished them from adulterants. This multiplex SCAR assay shows a great potential in reducing the time and cost involved in the identification of genuine Angelicae Dahuricae Radix and adulterant contamination.

SUBMITTER: Noh P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6225120 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundDNA-based testing has been gaining acceptance as a tool for authentication of a wide range of food products; however, its applicability for testing of herbal supplements remains contentious.MethodsWe utilized Sanger and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) for taxonomic authentication of fifteen herbal supplements representing three different producers from five medicinal plants: Echinacea purpurea, Valeriana officinalis, Ginkgo biloba, Hypericum perforatum and Trigonella foenum-graecum. Experimental design included three modifications of DNA extraction, two lysate dilutions, Internal Amplification Control, and multiple negative controls to exclude background contamination. Ginkgo supplements were also analyzed using HPLC-MS for the presence of active medicinal components.ResultsAll supplements yielded DNA from multiple species, rendering Sanger sequencing results for rbcL and ITS2 regions either uninterpretable or non-reproducible between the experimental replicates. Overall, DNA from the manufacturer-listed medicinal plants was successfully detected in seven out of eight dry herb form supplements; however, low or poor DNA recovery due to degradation was observed in most plant extracts (none detected by Sanger; three out of seven-by NGS). NGS also revealed a diverse community of fungi, known to be associated with live plant material and/or the fermentation process used in the production of plant extracts. HPLC-MS testing demonstrated that Ginkgo supplements with degraded DNA contained ten key medicinal components.ConclusionQuality control of herbal supplements should utilize a synergetic approach targeting both DNA and bioactive components, especially for standardized extracts with degraded DNA. The NGS workflow developed in this study enables reliable detection of plant and fungal DNA and can be utilized by manufacturers for quality assurance of raw plant materials, contamination control during the production process, and the final product. Interpretation of results should involve an interdisciplinary approach taking into account the processes involved in production of herbal supplements, as well as biocomplexity of plant-plant and plant-fungal biological interactions.

Dataset Information

Authentication of the Herbal Medicine Angelicae Dahuricae Radix Using an ITS Sequence-Based Multiplex SCAR Assay.

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