Identification of dried rhizomes of Coptis species using random amplified polymorphic DNA

The Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was adopted in the study to identify eight kinds of Coptidis Rhizomes and one kind of Picrorhizae Rhizoma, a pharmaceutical replacement for the former in some provinces of China. The DNA isolated from the dried rhizome of the samples were used as templates in polymerase chain reactions with twenty random decamer primers. Four of the primers, OPT-09, OPT-15, OPT-18, and OPT-20, revealed reproducibly distinct RAPD profiles. The primers possessed different abilities to detect variations in the Coptis species. RAPD analysis provides an efficient approach to identifying the sources of Coptidis Rhizoma medicines on the market.