ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Deer-derived materials (antler, venison, fetus, penis, bone, tail, and others) are some of the most valuable traditional animal-based medicinal and food materials in China. In production, processing, and trade, the quality of deer products varies. The market is confusing, and counterfeit and shoddy products are common. There is an urgent need to establish an accurate identification method. RESULTS: Two pairs of primers suitable for identifying deer-derived medicinal materials were obtained by screening the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequences of 18 species from nine genera of the deer family. The two primers were used to identify the species and adulteration of 22 batches of commercially available deer-derived products with a mini-barcode combining high-resolution melting (HRM) technology and methodical investigation. Deer-derived materials (sika and red deer) were correctly identified by species using varying DNA amounts (1 to 500 ng). The two pairs of primers COI-1FR and COI-2FR yielded melting temperatures (Tm) of 80.55 to 81.00 °C and 82.00 to 82.50 °C for sika deer, and 81.00 to 82.00 °C and 81.40 to 82.00 °C for red deer. Twenty-two batches of commercially available samples were analyzed by HRM analysis and conventional amplification sequencing, and it was found that the species samples had an error rate of species labeling of 31.8%. Four batches of samples were identified as mixed (adulterated) in the HRM analysis. CONCLUSION: The combination of DNA mini-barcode with HRM analysis facilitated the accurate identification of species of deer-derived materials, especially the identification of samples in an adulterated mixed state. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
ABSTRACT
Chinese patent medicines (CPMs) are of great value for the prevention and treatment of diseases. However, adulterants and pesticide residues in CPMs have become the "bottleneck" impeding the globalization of traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, 12 batches of commercially available Qipi pill (a famous CPM recorded in Chinese Pharmacopeia) from different manufacturers were investigated to evaluate their authenticity and quality safety. Considering the severely degraded DNA in CPMs, kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) technology combined with DNA mini-barcodes was proposed for the quality regulation of a large number of products in CPM market. The residues of four kinds of pesticides including pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), aldrin, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were quantified using gas chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The results indicated that in two of the 12 batches of Qipi pill, the main herbal ingredient Panax ginseng was completely substituted by P. quinquefolius, and one sample was partially adulterated with P. quinquefolius. The PCNB residue was detected in 11 batches of Qipi pill, ranging from 0.11 to 0.46 mg/kg, and the prohibited pesticide HCH was present in four samples. Both adulteration and banned pesticides were found in two CPMs. This study suggests that KASP technology combined with DNA mini-barcodes can be used for the quality supervision of large sample size CPMs with higher efficiency but lower cost. Our findings also provide the insight that pesticide residues in CPMs should be paid more attention in the future.
ABSTRACT
Sphecapatoclea excisa Villeneuve, 1909, the type species of the Palaearctic genus Sphecapatoclea Villeneuve, 1909, is redescribed based on a female syntype and on material from Makhtesh Ramon National Park, Israel, and its first instar larva is described for the first time. The species is sexually dimorphic, with much darker adult males. The male genital apparatus is unique by its compressed and sclerotised epiphallus. The morphology of the first instar larva is in accordance with the recently suggested position of the genus Sphecapatoclea in the Old World clade of the "lower" Miltogramminae. Two COI mini-barcodes are provided for S. excisa, and molecular data are in agreement with sequences for Sphecapatoclea spp. available in GenBank. Morphology supports a broad concept of the genus, as S. excisa presents a mixture of character states traditionally used to diagnose either Sphecapatoclea (s. str.) or Parthomyia Rohdendorf, 1925. Available morphological keys for genera of Palaearctic Miltogramminae are compared for functionality, and possible autapomorphies from both adult and larval morphology are discussed.