Use of the potential DNA barcode ITS2 to identify herbal materials
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Use of the potential DNA barcode ITS2 to identify herbal materials Xiaohui Pang • Linchun Shi • Jingyuan Song Xiaochen Chen • Shilin Chen
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Received: 23 April 2012 / Accepted: 2 October 2012 Ó The Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy and Springer Japan 2012
Abstract A potential DNA barcode, ITS2, was studied to discriminate herbal materials to confirm their identities and ensure their safe application in pharmaceuticals. Here, a total of 4385 samples of 2431 species were collected, and these samples are from 61 commonly used herbs and their closely related species or adulterants. Based on assessments of the extent of genetic divergence, the DNA barcoding gap and the ability for species discrimination, our results suggest that ITS2 is a powerful tool for distinguishing herbs. For the first dataset including 61 herbs, ITS2 correctly identified 100 % of them. For the second dataset containing 51 herbs and their 2382 closely related species, ITS2 could discriminate correctly 48 herbs from their closely related species. For the third dataset comprising 34 herbs and their 111 adulterants, ITS2 could distinguish successfully all the herbs from their adulterants. In conclusion, the ITS2 region is an efficient marker for the authentication of herbal materials, and our study will accelerate the process of the application of the DNA barcoding technique in differentiating herbs. Keywords Herbal materials ITS2 DNA barcode Identification
X. Pang and L. Shi contributed equally to this work.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11418-012-0715-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. X. Pang L. Shi J. Song X. Chen S. Chen (&) Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, No. 151 Malianwa North Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, People’s Republic of China e-mail: [email protected]
Introduction Herbs have played an important role in the health care system in China for thousands of years [1, 2], which have been widely used in clinical applications. For instance, the herb Leonuri Herba, derived from Leonurus japonicus, has long been used in treating disorders of the mammary gland in China [3, 4]. Centellae Herba, derived from Centella asiatica, which contains triterpene saponins [5], has been used for general wound healing in Asiatic countries for many years [6]. Cirsii japonici Herba and Cirsii Herba have been well known for their uses in treating bleeding, inflammation and vascular-related diseases [7–9]. Sedi Herba, derived from Sedum sarmentosum, is very effective in treating chronic viral hepatitis [10]. The accurate identification of herbs is essential for their safe application. Traditionally, herbal materials are authenticated mainly by experienced or trained experts based on their morphological characteristics. However, some herbal materials are similar in appearance. Remarkably, the morphological characteristics of many herbs are unclear due
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