title: DNA based identification of medicinal materials in Chinese patent medicines.
abstract: Chinese patent medicines (CPM) are highly processed and easy to use Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The market for CPM in China alone is tens of billions US dollars annually and some of the CPM are also used as dietary supplements for health augmentation in the western countries. But concerns continue to be raised about the legality, safety and efficacy of many popular CPM. Here we report a pioneer work of applying molecular biotechnology to the identification of CPM, particularly well refined oral liquids and injections. What's more, this PCR based method can also be developed to an easy to use and cost-effective visual chip by taking advantage of G-quadruplex based Hybridization Chain Reaction. This study demonstrates that DNA identification of specific Medicinal materials is an efficient and cost-effective way to audit highly processed CPM and will assist in monitoring their quality and legality.
authors.affiliation: Natural Products Research Center, Chengdu Institution of Biology , Chinese Academy of Science, Chengdu, PR China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Afshan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yasmeen
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Xiaomao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D058110:Counterfeit Drugs / Q000737:chemistry*; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000032:analysis*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry*; D054856:G-Quadruplexes; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000737:chemistry*; D005894:Panax; D008517:Phytotherapy; D018517:Plant Roots; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012449:Safety
chemical_list: D058110:Counterfeit Drugs; D018744:DNA, Plant; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs