Identification of toxic plants from poisonous samples using massively parallel sequencing.

Area of Science:

• Forensic botany
• Molecular biology
• Toxicology

Background:

• Toxic and edible plants often share similar appearances, leading to accidental poisonings.
• Accurate identification of poisonous plants in mixtures is crucial, even in processed or digested samples.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a massive parallel sequencing (MPS) method for identifying poisonous plants in mixed, cooked, or digested samples.
• To differentiate toxic Veratrum oxysepalum and Colchicum autumnale from edible Hosta sieboldiana using DNA analysis.

Main Methods:

• Developed and optimized an MPS method targeting the trnL and rbcL plant DNA regions.
• Analyzed DNA from mixtures of poisonous and edible plants at various ratios.
• Tested the method on cooked plant materials and simulated gastric contents.

Main Results:

• Successfully detected DNA from both poisonous and edible plants in mixed samples.
• Identified poisonous plant DNA in cooked materials and simulated gastric contents.
• Demonstrated the method's efficacy in genus and species identification from processed samples.

Conclusions:

• Massive parallel sequencing (MPS) is a valuable tool for forensic analysis of plant materials.
• The developed MPS method can accurately identify plant species in complex mixtures, including digested and cooked samples.
• This technique can help prevent accidental poisonings by identifying toxic plants.