title: Authentication of Panax notoginseng by 5S-rRNA spacer domain and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis.
abstract: The great majority of Panax species are well-known herbal medicines in the Orient, and many of them share a close resemblance in appearance and chemical composition. Among these Panax species, the root of P. notoginseng (Sanqi) is a unique herb that has distinct clinical usage. Here, the 5S-rRNA spacer domains were isolated from P. notoginseng, P. japonicus var. major, P. stipuleanatus, P. quinquefolius, P. ginseng, P. zingiberensis, and P. wangianus, and four common adulterants of P. notoginseng including Curcuma wenyujin, Curcuma longa, Bletilla striata and Gynura segetum. The spacer domains were sequenced and compared, which showed over 75 % DNA identity among all Panax species, but not for the adulterants. In addition, random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to distinguish different members of Panax genus as well as the morphological variants of P. notoginseng. These molecular methods could be used in the authentic identification of P. notoginseng from other Panax species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biotechnology Research Institute, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: X M
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Yip
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Tsim
mesh_terms: D017931:DNA Primers; D006801:Humans; D005894:Panax / Q000235:genetics*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D018515:Plant Leaves; D018517:Plant Roots; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012341:RNA, Ribosomal, 5S / Q000235:genetics; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012341:RNA, Ribosomal, 5S