Successful Isolation and PCR Amplification of DNA from National Institute of Standards and Technology Herbal Dietary Supplement Standard Reference Material Powders and Extracts

Abstract

Twenty-four herbal dietary supplement powder and extract reference standards provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were investigated using three different commercially available DNA extraction kits to evaluate DNA availability for downstream nucleotide-based applications. The material included samples of Camellia, Citrus, Ephedra, Ginkgo, Hypericum, Serenoa, and Vaccinium. Protocols from Qiagen, MoBio, and Phytopure were used to isolate and purify DNA from the NIST standards. The resulting DNA concentration was quantified using SYBR Green fluorometry. Each of the 24 samples yielded DNA, though the concentration of DNA from each approach was notably different. The Phytopure method consistently yielded more DNA. The average yield ratio was 22 : 3 : 1 (ng/µL; Phytopure : Qiagen : MoBio). Amplification of the internal transcribed spacer II region using PCR was ultimately successful in 22 of the 24 samples. Direct sequencing chromatograms of the amplified material suggested that most of the samples were comprised of mixtures. However, the sequencing chromatograms of 12 of the 24 samples were sufficient to confirm the identity of the target material. The successful extraction, amplification, and sequencing of DNA from these herbal dietary supplement extracts and powders supports a continued effort to explore nucleotide sequence−based tools for the authentication and identification of plants in dietary supplements.