Planta Med 2008; 74(15): 1842-1845
DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1088329
Original Paper
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Identification and Quantification of the Traditional Chinese Medicinal Plant Gentiana macrophylla using Taqman Real-Time PCR

Chun-Ying Xue1 , De-Zhu Li1 , Qing-Zhong Wang2
  • 1Laboratory of Plant Biodiversity and Biogeography, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, P. R. China
  • 2School of Chemical Science and Technology, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, P. R. China
Further Information

Publication History

Received: January 12, 2008 Revised: August 11, 2008

Accepted: August 28, 2008

Publication Date:
17 November 2008 (online)

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Abstract

Gentiana macrophylla Pall. is a commonly used antirheumatic herb. There are four species of Gentiana recorded as herbal drugs in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The other species are often marketed as G. macrophylla, and thus the therapeutic effects of G. macrophylla are not achieved. A novel one-step methodology based on real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology has been developed for the identification of G. macrophylla. This relative quantification methodology does not require a known amount of standard, allowing the analysis of many more samples together. The utilization of real-time PCR does not require sample handling, preventing contamination and resulting in much faster and higher throughput results.

References

Dr. Chun-Ying Xue

Kunming Institute of Botany

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Kunming 650204

Yunnan

People’s Republic of China

Phone: +86-871-522-3508

Fax: +86-871-521-7791

Email: chyxue@mail.kib.ac.cn

Dr. Qing-Zhong Wang

School of Chemical Science and Technology

Yunnan University

Kunming

Yunnan 610091

People’s Republic of China

Phone: +86-871-503-3722

Fax: +86-871-503-2180

Email: qzhwang@ynu.edu.cn