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Author Spotlight: Harnessing DNA Barcode Technology to Enhance the Efficiency of Medicinal Plant Identification
Published on: November 1, 2024
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Challenges in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants DNA Barcoding-Lessons from the Lamiaceae
Nazia Nazar1, Caroline Howard2, Adrian Slater1
1Biomolecular Technology Group, Leicester School of Allied Health Science, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK.
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 11, 2022
Summary
DNA barcoding shows promise for identifying medicinal plants and ensuring the quality of traded plant materials. However, challenges remain for widespread industry and regulatory acceptance of these DNA methods.
Area of Science:
- Botany
- Genetics
- Pharmacognosy
Background:
- The Lamiaceae family, or mint family, encompasses over a thousand medicinal plant species, widely used in food and cosmetics for their aromatic essential oils (EOs).
- This family includes diverse genera like Ocimum, Lavandula, Mentha, Thymus, and Salvia, featuring cultivated hybrids and endangered species, alongside potential toxic adulterants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the successes and limitations of conventional DNA barcoding for identifying medicinal plants within the Lamiaceae family.
- To explore the potential of next-generation sequencing technologies for whole plastome and nuclear genome sequencing in plant identification and authentication.
Main Methods:
- Review of conventional DNA barcoding techniques applied to the Lamiaceae family.
- Discussion of next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches, including whole plastome and nuclear genome sequencing.
Main Results:
- Conventional DNA barcoding has demonstrated value but faces challenges for full acceptance as a quality control method.
- NGS technologies offer advanced opportunities for comprehensive plant identification and authentication, addressing limitations of current methods.
Conclusions:
- DNA barcoding is a valuable tool for medicinal plant identification and trade authentication, particularly within the Lamiaceae family.
- Further development and validation of DNA-based methods, including NGS, are crucial for their adoption by industry and regulatory bodies.
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