DNA fingerprinting of medicinally used Derris species by RAPD molecular markers

DNA fingerprinting of five medicinal used Derris species, D. scandens (Roxb.) Benth, D. elliptica (Wallich.) Benth., D. malaccensis (Benth.), D. trifoliate Lour., and D. reticulate Benth., was studied using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. Herbal drugs, Derris, were often sold in medicinal plant market as processed plant parts which often lose their original features, making them difficult to be differentiated morphologically. Accurate identification is needed in order to ensure their efficacy, thus RAPD was exploited as a molecular method. The screening of twenty deca-oligonucleotide primers allowed the selection of nine primers, OPS-03, OPS-05, OPS-07, OPS-08, OPS-12, OPS-14, OPS-16, OPS-17, and OPS-19, which revealed polymorphism. The results were reproducible. RAPD bands were scored for the presence and the absence from the photographic results and grouped by distance analysis using a pair-wise genetic similarity according to the index of Nei and Li. Dendrogram was generated by the unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA). Two clusters were revealed: the first consisted of D. scandens, D. elliptica, D. malaccensis, and D. reticulata and the second only D. trifoliata. Variation in DNA fingerprint detected among selected medicinal Derris species indicates the efficiency of RAPD molecular markers for the identification and construction of genetic relationship.

Acknowledgements: Young Scientist Scholar, Ratchadapiseksompoach Research Funds, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Reference: 1. Sukrong, S. et al. (2006), Thai J. Pharm. Sci. 29: 155–163.