title: Forensic identification of CITES protected slimming cactus (Hoodia) using DNA barcoding.
abstract: Slimming cactus (Hoodia), found only in southwestern Africa, is a well-known herbal product for losing weight. Consequently, Hoodia extracts are sought-after worldwide despite a CITES Appendix II status. The failure to eradicate illegal trade is due to problems with detecting and identifying Hoodia using morphological and chemical characters. Our aim was to evaluate the potential of molecular identification of Hoodia based on DNA barcoding. Screening of nrITS1 and psbA-trnH DNA sequences from 26 accessions of Ceropegieae resulted in successful identification, while conventional chemical profiling using DLI-MS led to inaccurate detection and identification of Hoodia. The presence of Hoodia in herbal products was also successfully established using DNA sequences. A validation procedure of our DNA barcoding protocol demonstrated its robustness to changes in PCR conditions. We conclude that DNA barcoding is an effective tool for Hoodia detection and identification which can contribute to preventing illegal trade.
authors.affiliation: IBED, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gathier
authors.forename: Timotheus
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: van der Niet
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peelen
authors.forename: Rogier R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: van Vugt
authors.forename: Marcel C M
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Eurlings
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gravendeel
mesh_terms: D029062:Apocynaceae / Q000235:genetics*; D003132:Commerce; D003415:Crime; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D056727:Endangered Species; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008517:Phytotherapy; D018547:Plant Stems; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer
keywords: Apocynaceae; DNA barcoding; forensic science; herbal products; nrITS1; psbA-trnH