title: DNA barcode authentication of saw palmetto herbal dietary supplements.
abstract: Herbal dietary supplements made from saw palmetto (Serenoa repens; Arecaceae) fruit are commonly consumed to ameliorate benign prostate hyperplasia. A novel DNA mini-barcode assay to accurately identify [specificity = 1.00 (95% confidence interval = 0.74-1.00); sensitivity = 1.00 (95% confidence interval = 0.66-1.00); n = 31] saw palmetto dietary supplements was designed from a DNA barcode reference library created for this purpose. The mini-barcodes were used to estimate the frequency of mislabeled saw palmetto herbal dietary supplements on the market in the United States of America. Of the 37 supplements examined, amplifiable DNA could be extracted from 34 (92%). Mini-barcode analysis of these supplements demonstrated that 29 (85%) contain saw palmetto and that 2 (6%) supplements contain related species that cannot be legally sold as herbal dietary supplements in the United States of America. The identity of 3 (9%) supplements could not be conclusively determined.
authors.affiliation: Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics, The New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York 10458, United States of America.
authors.forename: Damon P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Little
authors.affiliation: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Département Systématique et Evolution, UMR 602 Herbiers plantes vasculaires, Case postale 39, F-75231 Paris cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Marc L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Jeanson
mesh_terms: D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D018744:DNA, Plant; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000592:standards; D005638:Fruit / Q000235:genetics; D005819:Genetic Markers; D014644:Genetic Variation; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000592:standards; D028024:Serenoa / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant; D005819:Genetic Markers; D010936:Plant Extracts