Abstract
Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) H.Rob. is one of the most popular herbal smoking cessation aids currently used in Thailand, and its adulteration with Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC. is often found in the herbal market. Therefore, the quality of the raw material must be considered. This work aimed to integrate macro- and microscopic, chemical and genetic authentication strategies to differentiate C. cinereum raw material from its adulterant. Different morphological features between C. cinereum and E. sonchifolia were simply recognized at the leaf base. For microscopic characteristics, trichome and pappus features were different between the two plants. HPTLC profiles showed a distinct band that could be used to unambiguously differentiate C. cinereum from E. sonchifolia. Four triterpenoid compounds, β-amyrin, taraxasterol, lupeol, and betulin, were identified from the distinct HPTLC band of C. cinereum. The use of core DNA barcode regions; rbcL, matK, ITS and psbA-trnH provided species-level resolution to differentiate the two plants. Taken together, the integration of macroscopic and microscopic characterization, phytochemical analysis by HPTLC and DNA barcoding distinguished C. cinereum from E. sonchifolia. The signatures of C. cinereum obtained here can help manufacturers to increase the quality control of C. cinereum raw material in commercialized smoking cessation products.
Highlights
Over 1.1 billion people smoke tobacco worldwide, which causes approximately 8 million deaths each year, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO)[1]
Macroscopic and microscopic methods for botanical identification are recommended as basic tools in the Thai Herbal Pharmacopoeia (THP)[7]
C. cinereum flower-heads are tubulate with pink to purple florets (Fig. 2A), while long vase-shaped flower bracts with petals tinted pink to purple are observed in E. sonchifolia (Fig. 3A)
Summary
Over 1.1 billion people smoke tobacco worldwide, which causes approximately 8 million deaths each year, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO)[1]. Careless collection practices and lack of standard quality control lead to contamination by E. sonchifolia and result in substandard quality of the smoking cessation aid products; appropriate markers for quality control of herbal raw materials are necessary. Chemical detection methods may produce uncertain results due to environmental factors that affect the chemical composition of herbal species and biological activities of the substances. Approaches such as thin-layer chromatography (TLC) or high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) are versatile and specific for the identification of phytochemical constituents in herbal products. This study aimed to differentiate C. cinereum, a smoking cessation herb, from its adulterant, E. sonchifolia, using macroscopic and microscopic examination, HPTLC profiling and DNA barcoding methods
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