Microsatellites for Phytolacca acinosa (Phytolaccaceae), a traditional medicinal herb¹

Abstract

Premise of the study:Phytolacca acinosa (Phytolaccaceae) is a traditional Chinese herb with multiple medicinal uses and is an important pigment source. Due to excessive human harvesting, the population numbers and sizes have decreased dramatically.Methods and Results:Using an enriched genomic library, we developed and characterized 15 microsatellite primers for P. acinosa, 13 of which were polymorphic. The number of alleles varied from two to seven. The observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity per locus ranged from 0.267 to 1.000 and 0.331 to 0.743, respectively. All of the primers that were developed were also successfully applied in P. americana.Conclusions:These markers should be useful in probing the genetic diversity, genetic structure, and mating systems of P. acinosa, which could provide information about protecting and sustainably harvesting this species.

Vegetative propagation of Phytolacca acinosa Roxb. by rhizome cuttings: a step towards conservation and cultivation approach

“…Rhizomes of P. acinosa contain numerous bioactive compounds, including chochliophilin (A and B), hypaphorine, esculentosides, b-sitosterol, monoglyceride, daucosterol, phytolacacinoside (A, B, and E), phytolaccoside (A, B, and E), esculentoside G, and palmitic acid (Gao et al, 2009;Krishan et al, 2022;Li et al, 2023). Consequently, it serves as an important medicinal herb with diverse pharmacological properties like antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-oxidative, anticancer, immunity-enhancing, anti-parasitic, and insecticidal properties (Gao et al, 2009;Cheng et al, 2017;Bailly, 2021). It has been reported to exhibit cytotoxicity in human cancer cell lines and antimicrobial activity in bacterial culture (Ma et al, 2017(Ma et al, , 2019Krishan et al, 2022).…”

“…Besides being used as medicine, P. acinosa is also used as a source of food, red dye for coloring wool fabric, and for phytoremediation of heavy metals like cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) (Zhao et al, 2014;Wu et al, 2016;Liu et al, 2022). During the last few decades, climate change, habitat destruction, and unsustainable harvesting of P. acinosa due to its diverse uses have resulted in a rapid decline in its population across natural habitats (Cheng et al, 2017;Magray et al, 2023;Wani et al, 2024b).…”