Abstract
Mitochondrial DNA of velvet antler was amplified with random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique and the PCR products were detected with non-gel sieving capillary electrophoresis to establish a RAPD-HPCE method used for identifying the authenticity of velvet antler or it counterfeits. Factors that could affect the PCR amplification and capillary electrophoresis were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, namely, 20 mmol L−1 NaH2PO4–Na2HPO4–2 mmolL−1 EDTA buffer solution [0.8% (W/V) HPMC, 15 mmol L−1 TBAP and pH 7.3], −10 kV injection voltage and −8 kV separation voltage, Cervus nippon Temminck antler, Cervus elaphus Linnaeus antler, Rangifer tarandus antler, Cervus canadensis antler and Elaphurus davidianus antler were analyzed. The analysis on the similarity of obtained elctrophoretograms showed that there were significant differences in similarities of different velvet antlers, which could be used for the quick identification of the authenticity of velvet antler samples. It can be found that the technique of RAPD combined with HPCE is advantageous in rich polymorphism, high detection rate, simple and convenient performance, high efficiency, rapidness and sensitivity, indicating that it should be suitable for the quick identification of the authenticity of velvet antler samples.
Declaration of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper. The PCR technology was partially supported by Jilin Leibo Scientific Co. Ltd., China. This work was financially supported by the Science and Technology Research Projects of the Education Department of Jilin province (No. 2014-212, No. 2012-143, No. 2014-505) and the Strategic New Industries and High-tech Development Project of Jilin Province (No. 2013G030) and Wu Jieping Medical Foundation (No. 320.6750.13216).
Notice of Correction:
In the version of this article published online ahead of print on 8 August 2014, the third affiliation was written incorrectly. This has been corrected in this version.