Planta Med 2005; 71(4): 384-386
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-864112
Letter
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Identification of Fritillaria pallidiflora Using Diagnostic PCR and PCR-RFLP Based on Nuclear Ribosomal DNA Internal Transcribed Spacer Sequences

Chong-Zhi Wang1 , 2 , Ping Li1 , Jia-Yi Ding1 , Guo-Qian Jin1 , Chun-Su Yuan2
  • 1Key Laboratory of Modern Traditional Chinese Medicines, and Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, P. R. China
  • 2Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research, and Department of Anesthesia & Critical Care, The Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Publikationsverlauf

Received: August 9, 2004

Accepted: January 4, 2005

Publikationsdatum:
27. April 2005 (online)

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Abstract

Fritillaria pallidiflora Schrenk (Liliaceae) is a commonly used antitussive herb. There are 9 species of Fritillaria recorded as herbal drugs in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The other species are often marketed as F. pallidiflora, and thus, the therapeutic effects of F. pallidiflora are not achieved. Methods to distinguish F. pallidiflora from the 8 other species of Fritillaria are limited by the current morphological and chemical methods. In this study, we report two molecular authentication methods based on the sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (nrDNA ITS) regions. For diagnostic PCR, we designed a pair of species-specific primers to authenticate F. pallidiflora. The PCR program consisted of only two steps for every repeated cycle. For PCR-RFLP, we identified a distinctive site which can be recognized by the restriction endonuclease Eco81I in the nrDNA ITS1 region of F. pallidiflora. PCR-RFLP analysis was established to differentiate F. pallidiflora from the other species of Fritillaria. These methods provide effective and accurate identification of F. pallidiflora.