Planta Med 2001; 67(5): 456-460
DOI: 10.1055/s-2001-15818
Original Paper
Analysis
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Authentication of Medicinal Dendrobium Species by the Internal Transcribed Spacer of Ribosomal DNA

David Tai-Wai Lau1,3 , Pang-Chui Shaw2,3 , Jun Wang2,3 , Paul Pui-Hay But1,3,*
  • 1 Department of Biology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
  • 2 Department of Biochemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
  • 3 Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
Weitere Informationen

Publikationsverlauf

July 20, 2000

November 11, 2000

Publikationsdatum:
31. Dezember 2001 (online)

Abstract

Herba Dendrobii (Shihu) is a commonly used Chinese medicine derived from the stem of several orchid species belonging to the genus Dendrobium. It is rather expensive and adulteration is frequent. Proper authentication of the medicinal species is necessary to protect consumers and support conservation measures. DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS 2) of 16 Dendrobium species were shown to be significantly different from one another by an average of 12.4 % and from non-orchids and Pholidota (an adulterant of Shihu) by 29.8 % and 18.8 %, respectively. The intra-specific variation among the Dendrobium species studied was only about 1 %. Therefore, ITS 2 regions could be adopted as a molecular marker for differentiating medicinal Dendrobium species from one another and also from non-orchids and adulterants.

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Prof Paul Pui-Hay But

Department of Biology and Institute of Chinese Medicine

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Shatin, N.T

Hong Kong

eMail: paulbut@cuhk.edu.hk

Fax: (852) 2603-5248

Telefon: Tel: (852) 2609-6140