title: Diversity in aconitine alkaloid profile of Aconitum plants in Hokkaido contrasts with their genetic similarity.
abstract: Aconite tuber is a representative crude drug for warming the body internally in Japanese Kampo medicine and Chinese traditional medicine. The crude drug is used in major prescriptions for the aged. Varieties of Aconitum plants are distributed throughout the Japanese Islands, especially Hokkaido. With the aim of identifying the medicinal potential of Aconitum plants from Hokkaido, 107 specimens were collected from 36 sites in the summer of 2011 and 2012. Their nuclear DNA region, internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and aconitine alkaloid contents were analyzed. Phylogenic analysis of ITS by maximum parsimony analysis showed that the majority of the specimens were grouped into one cluster (cluster I), separated from the other cluster (cluster II) consisting of alpine specimens. The aconitine alkaloid content of the tuberous roots of 76 specimens showed 2 aspects-specimens from the same collection site showed similar aconitine alkaloid profiles, and cluster I specimens from different habitats showed various alkaloid profiles. Environmental pressure of each habitat is presumed to have caused the morphology and aconitine alkaloid profile of these genetically similar specimens to diversify.
authors.affiliation: Kyusyu University of Health and Welfare, Nobeoka, Miyazaki, 882-8508, Japan, kakiuchi@phoenix.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Nobuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kakiuchi
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Atsumi
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.forename: Shohei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamikawa
authors.forename: Haruka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyako
authors.forename: Yuriko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wakita
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ohtsuka
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Atsuyuki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hishida
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawahara
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishizawa
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kadota
mesh_terms: D000157:Aconitine / Q000032:analysis*; D031841:Aconitum / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D007564:Japan; D035281:Plant Tubers / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000157:Aconitine