Development of TaqMan Real-Time Fluorescent Quantitative PCR Method for Identification and Quantification of Sinomenium acutum-Originated Herbal Drugs

Due to morphological similarities, adulterants are frequently substituted for Qingfengteng (QFT, <i>Sinomenium acutum</i>) in regional markets. This study developed a TaqMan probe-based real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay targeting a 57-base pair (bp) fragment of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region for the specific detection of QFT. The method was validated using a diverse set of samples, including: (1) 19 batches of QFT and 8 batches of Beidougen (BDG, <i>Menispermum dauricum</i>), comprising both medicinal materials and decoction pieces; (2) 5 batches each of decoction pieces from Qingsheteng (QST, <i>Periploca calophylla</i>), Jishiteng (JST, <i>Paederia foetida</i>), Kuanjinteng (KJT, <i>Tinospora sinensis</i>), and Huibeiqingfengteng (HBQFT, <i>Sabia discolor</i>); (3) 6 batches of commercial QFT-containing tablets (with different batch numbers) and 6 batches of laboratory-prepared QFT aqueous decoctions (with different decocting time). Distinct cycle threshold (Ct) values and amplification curves unambiguously differentiated QFT from all adulterants. An external standard-based quantification approach was established to detect adulteration with BDG, the morphologically and genetically most similar adulterant. Recovery rates ranged from 81.79 to 102.38% in herbal mixed powders spiked with 1%, 5%, 50%, and 100% BDG. The method reliably detected QFT in processed tablets and freeze-dried decoctions, demonstrating high tolerance to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) degradation. This qPCR assay enables specific and quantitative detection of QFT in dried and processed samples using short amplicons (57 bp), thereby supporting quality control throughout the herbal production chain.