title: RAPD analysis of Astragalus medicines marketed in Taiwan.
abstract: The genetic variability of Astragalus medicine materials sold by twenty randomly selected stores in Taiwan was investigated using RAPD analysis in order to obtain available primers which could clearly differentiate among them. Total DNA isolated from the rhizomes of the samples were used as templates, and sixty 10 mer arbitrary primers were used in the analysis. The aim of the present study is to construct an identification model of molecular biotechniques applicable to Chinese herbal medicines in RAPD analysis. Three of the primers, OPT-03, OPT-13, and OPT-17, revealed polymorphic RAPD fingerprints among the samples of Astragalus membranaceus, and between Astragalus membranaceus and Hedysarum polybotrys samples. SSCP analysis was also conducted on PCR products from the ITS-1 region of ribosomal DNA in order to differentiate the two species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Taipei Medical College, Taiwan.
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D027885:Astragalus propinquus; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004345:Drug Industry; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000032:analysis*; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018744:DNA, Plant; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts