Nazar Nazia, Howard Caroline, Slater Adrian, Sgamma Tiziana
Biomolecular Technology Group, Leicester School of Allied Health Science, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK.
Tree of Life Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Plants (Basel). 2022 Jan 5;11(1):137. doi: 10.3390/plants11010137.
The potential value of DNA barcoding for the identification of medicinal plants and authentication of traded plant materials has been widely recognized; however, a number of challenges remain before DNA methods are fully accepted as an essential quality control method by industry and regulatory authorities. The successes and limitations of conventional DNA barcoding are considered in relation to important members of the Lamiaceae. The mint family (Lamiaceae) contains over one thousand species recorded as having a medicinal use, with many more exploited in food and cosmetics for their aromatic properties. The family is characterized by a diversity of secondary products, most notably the essential oils (EOs) produced in external glandular structures on the aerial parts of the plant that typify well-known plants of the basil (), lavender (), mint (), thyme (), sage () and related genera. This complex, species-rich family includes widely cultivated commercial hybrids and endangered wild-harvested traditional medicines, and examples of potential toxic adulterants within the family are explored in detail. The opportunities provided by next generation sequencing technologies to whole plastome barcoding and nuclear genome sequencing are also discussed with relevant examples.
DNA条形码在药用植物鉴定和贸易植物材料认证方面的潜在价值已得到广泛认可；然而，在DNA方法被行业和监管机构完全接受为一种基本的质量控制方法之前，仍存在一些挑战。本文结合唇形科的重要成员，探讨了传统DNA条形码技术的成功与局限。唇形科包含一千多种有药用记载的植物，还有更多因其芳香特性被用于食品和化妆品的植物。该科的特点是次生代谢产物多样，最显著的是在植物地上部分的外部腺结构中产生的精油，如罗勒、薰衣草、薄荷、百里香、鼠尾草等著名植物及其相关属都有此类精油。这个复杂且物种丰富的科包括广泛种植的商业杂交品种和濒危的野生传统药材，文中还详细探讨了该科内潜在有毒掺假物的例子。同时，本文还通过相关实例讨论了新一代测序技术为全叶绿体基因组条形码和核基因组测序带来的机遇。
