Abstract
Amomi Fructus is one of the traditional medicines derived from the ripe fruits of the Zingiberaceae family of plants, which include Amomum villosum, A. villosum var. xanthioides, and A. longiligulare. Owing to their highly similar morphological traits, several kinds of adulterants of Amomi Fructus have been reported. Therefore, accurate and reliable methods of identification are necessary in order to ensure drug safety and quality. We performed DNA barcoding using five regions (ITS, matK, rbcL, rpoB, and trnL-F intergenic spacer) of 23 Amomi Fructus samples and 22 adulterants. We designed specific DNA markers for Amomi Fructus based on the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ITS. Amomi Fructus was well separated from the adulterants and was classified with the species of origin based on the detected SNPs from the DNA barcoding results. The AVF1/ISR DNA marker for A. villosum produced a 270 bases amplified product, while the ALF1/ISF DNA marker produced a 350 bases product specific for A. longiligulare. Using these DNA markers, the monitoring of commercially distributed Amomi Fructus was performed, and the monitoring results were confirmed by ITS analysis. This method identified samples that were from incorrect origins, and a new species of adulterant was also identified. These results confirmed the accuracy and efficiency of the designed DNA markers; this method may be used as an efficient tool for the identification and verification of Amomi Fructus.
Highlights
Amomi Fructus, which is derived from species of cardamom plants, is an important traditional medicine used for curing digestive diseases, rheumatism, malaria, toothache, eliminating dampness, and promoting appetite [1,2]
The ripe fruits from Amomum villosum Lour., A. villosum var. xanthioides Wall. ex Baker, T.L.Wu and S.J.Chen, and A. longiligulare T.L.Wu are known as the origin of Amomi Fructus [1]
Amomi Fructus originates from the fruits of A. villosum and A. villosum var. xanthioides in Korean pharmacopeia [4], while the fruits of A. longiligulare in addition to those two species are listed as Amomi Fructus in both Chinese and Taiwan pharmacopeias [5,6]
Summary
Amomi Fructus, which is derived from species of cardamom plants, is an important traditional medicine used for curing digestive diseases, rheumatism, malaria, toothache, eliminating dampness, and promoting appetite [1,2]. It is used as an ingredient in the production of cosmetic and food products. Amomi Fructus originates from the fruits of A. villosum and A. villosum var. Xanthioides in Korean pharmacopeia [4], while the fruits of A. longiligulare in addition to those two species are listed as Amomi Fructus in both Chinese and Taiwan pharmacopeias [5,6]. Previous studies have reported that the content of borenol acetate as an active ingredient was significantly higher in the Molecules 2019, 24, 4193; doi:10.3390/molecules24224193 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules
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