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Molecular Authentication of Medicinal Plant, Swertia chirayita and its Adulterant Species

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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Swertia is ethno-medicinally an important genus belonging to family Gentianaceae. Swertia chirayita is used as imperative medicinal plant in Indian system of medicine. However, this species has been frequently adulterated due to its high demand and scarcity. Authentication of this species was needed to protect consumers and conservation measures and to find out the alternative source. Deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) extracted from fifteen samples of six species belonging to different localities, were used as templates. Four candidate barcodes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis was executed by Z-Big Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing v.3. Sequenced products were analyzed on automated applied biosystems 3730XI analyzer. Identification was performed by using molecular evolutionary genetics analysis 5 software (version 5.1). The amplification efficiency of all DNA barcodes [megakaryocyte-associated tyrosine kinase (matK), ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL), photosystem II protein D1- stuctural RNA- His tRNA (psbA-trnH) and internal transcribed spacer region (ITS)] was 100 %. Here, the highest interspecific divergence provided by ITS is 11.87 % and intraspecific by psbA-trnH being 10.22 % as compared to matK (5.04 %) and rbcL (0.99 %). ITS region proves robust molecular marker for differing the S. chirayita from its related adulterant species. All barcoding regions indicate that S. chirayita and S. minor both are more closely related than other Swertia species. Findings showed that DNA barcoding is an efficient tool for identification and authentication of S. chirayita. Use of S. minor as substitute to S. chirayita can be advocated.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are indebted to Prof. S. R. Yadav Head, Department of Botany, Shivaji University, Kolhapur for providing necessary lab facilities and also thankful to Dr. Mansingraj Nimbalkar for their extended help and guidance.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Cytogenetics and Plant Breeding, Department of Botany, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, 416 004, MS, India

    Parthraj Kshirsagar, Suraj Umdale & Nikhil Gaikwad

  2. Department of Botany, Yashvantrao Chavan Institute of Science, Satara, 415 001, MS, India

    Jaykumar Chavan

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  1. Parthraj Kshirsagar
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  2. Suraj Umdale
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  3. Jaykumar Chavan
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  4. Nikhil Gaikwad
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Correspondence to Parthraj Kshirsagar.

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Kshirsagar, P., Umdale, S., Chavan, J. et al. Molecular Authentication of Medicinal Plant, Swertia chirayita and its Adulterant Species. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., India, Sect. B Biol. Sci. 87, 101–107 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40011-015-0556-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40011-015-0556-3

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