title: Authentication of Ginkgo biloba herbal dietary supplements using DNA barcoding.
abstract: Ginkgo biloba L. (known as ginkgo or maidenhair tree) is a phylogenetically isolated, charismatic, gymnosperm tree. Herbal dietary supplements, prepared from G. biloba leaves, are consumed to boost cognitive capacity via improved blood perfusion and mitochondrial function. A novel DNA mini-barcode assay was designed and validated for the authentication of G. biloba in herbal dietary supplements (n = 22; sensitivity = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.59-1.00; specificity = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.64-1.00). This assay was further used to estimate the frequency of mislabeled ginkgo herbal dietary supplements on the market in the United States of America: DNA amenable to PCR could not be extracted from three (7.5%) of the 40 supplements sampled, 31 of 37 (83.8%) assayable supplements contained identifiable G. biloba DNA, and six supplements (16.2%) contained fillers without any detectable G. biloba DNA. It is hoped that this assay will be used by supplement manufacturers to ensure that their supplements contain G. biloba.
authors.affiliation: Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458-5126, USA.
authors.forename: Damon P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Little
mesh_terms: D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic / Q000379:methods*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D020441:Ginkgo biloba / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: PCR digital; digital PCR; matK; mini-barcode; mini-code-barre