Rapid identification of dried suckling deer using molecular authentication-based PCR-GICA and PCR-FQICA

Area of Science:

• Pharmacognosy
• Molecular Biology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Dried suckling deer is a valuable traditional Chinese medicinal material.
• Market adulteration is a significant concern due to limited availability and variable quality standards.
• Reliable and rapid authentication methods are essential for ensuring product integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate rapid molecular authentication methods for dried suckling deer.
• Establish Polymerase Chain Reaction-based colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay (PCR-GICA) and PCR-based fluorescent quantum dot immunochromatographic assay (PCR-FQICA).

Main Methods:

• Selection of the mtDNA ND4L gene as the target for dried suckling deer identification.
• Design of dried suckling deer-specific primers for amplifying a 46 bp fragment.
• Application of PCR-GICA and PCR-FQICA for rapid detection of amplified products, with agarose gel electrophoresis for verification.

Main Results:

• Optimized primer specificity achieved at an annealing temperature of 56 °C.
• Both PCR-GICA and PCR-FQICA demonstrated high specificity and reproducibility, correctly identifying authentic samples and distinguishing them from adulterants.
• Sensitivity analysis revealed a lowest detectable DNA template concentration of 0.5 pg/μL, 10-fold higher than agarose gel electrophoresis.

Conclusions:

• The developed PCR-GICA and PCR-FQICA methods are specific, sensitive, rapid, cost-effective, and visual.
• These methods are suitable for the reliable and efficient authentication of dried suckling deer in the marketplace.