A strategy for trade monitoring and substitution of the organs of threatened animals

Morpometric and molecular characterization of Surguli goat through CO1 gene in district Kohat

The present study was designed with the aim to study morphometric characterization as well as phylogeny and diversity of the local Surguli goat at their breeding tract district Kohat through mitochondrial DNA region, i.e., Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit One (CO1) gene. Morphometric data and blood samples were collected from thirty (30) pure goats. Morphometric analysis showed that sex had significant effect (p < 0.05) on body weight, body length, hearth girth and horn length while no significant effect (p > 0.05) was observed for other characteristics. The results also indicated that age had significant effect (p < 0.05) on height at rump, ear length, horn length and tail length while no significant effect (p > 0.05) was observed for other characteristics. The phylogenetic analysis through CO1 nucleotide sequences within nucleotide range 1-767 showed nine polymorphic sites segregating into eight haplotypes. The mean intraspecific diversity and mean interspecific diversity were calculated as 0.23 and 2.36%, respectively. Phylogenetic tree revealed that Capra Ibex and native Surguli goat have common ancestors. The morphometric and molecular results obtained from the present study can be exploited as a selection tool for breeding and overall improvement.

China’s Conservation Strategy Must Reconcile Its Contemporary Wildlife Use and Trade Practices

China’s supply-side conservation efforts in the past decades have led to two bewildering juxtapositions: a rapidly expanding farming industry vs. overexploitation, which remains one of the main threats to Chinese vertebrates. COVID-19 was also the second large-scale zoonotic disease outbreak since the 2002 SARS. Here, we reflect on China’s supply-side conservation strategy by examining its policies, laws, and practices concerning wildlife protection and utilization, and identify the unintended consequences that likely have undermined this strategy and made it ineffective in protecting threatened wildlife and preventing zoonotic diseases. We call for China to overhaul its conservation strategy to limit and phase out risky and unsustainable utilization, while improving legislation and enforcement to establish full chain-of-custody regulation over existing utilization.

Identification of short-chain poly-3-hydroxybutyrates in Saiga horn extracts using LC-MS/MS

Saiga horn extracts were analyzed with the goal of obtaining new information about compounds present in it. The purpose of this study is to find synthetic alternatives to Saiga horn extract, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine, by identifying potentially biologically active compounds in the extracts. Using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry, we have been able to identify a series of short-chain polyhydroxybutyrates in alcoholic extracts of Saiga horn. Optimized high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry methods for analysis of short-chain poly-3-hydroxybutyrates were developed and subsequently applied to investigate Saiga horn extract for the presence of these compounds, which might explain its biological actions, particularly for its antipyretic and procoagulant properties.

Buffalo species identification and delineation using genetic barcoding markers

Enrichment of barcode databases with mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode sequences in different animal taxa has become important for identification of animal source in food samples to prevent commercial fraud. In this study, COI barcode sequence in seventy one river buffalo samples were determined, analyzed and deposited in Genbank barcode database and barcode of life database (BOLD) to contribute for construction of public reference library for COI barcode sequence in river buffalo. Moreover COI barcode sequence was used to identify the closely related buffalo groups: river buffalo, swamp buffalo, lowland anoa and African buffalo. Results indicated the success of the COI barcode in the identification of each of the tested groups. Whereas a suggested sequence of other mitochondrial segment representing two successive transfer RNA (tRNA) genes; tRNA-Threonine (MT-TT) and tRNA-Proline (MT-TP) was failed to be used as a barcode marker for differentiation between the tested buffalo groups.

Discovery of differential sequences for improving breeding and yield of cultivated Ophiocordyceps sinensis through ITS sequencing and phylogenetic analysis

To accelerate the breeding process of cultivated Ophiocordyceps sinensis and increase its yield, it is important to identify molecular fingerprint of dominant O. sinensis. In the present study, we collected 3 batches of industrially cultivated O. sinensis product with higher yield than the others and compared their internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences with the wild and the reported. The ITS sequence was obtained by bidirectional sequencing and analyzed with molecular systematics as a DNA barcode for rapid and accurate identification of wild and cultivated O. sinensis collected. The ITS sequences of O. sinensis with detailed collection loci on NCBI were downloaded to construct a phylogenetic tree together with the sequences obtained from the present study by using neighbor-joining method based on their evolution relationship. The information on collection loci was analyzed with ArcGIS 10.2 to demonstrate the geographic distribution of these samples and thus to determine the origin of the dominant samples. The results showed that all wild and cultivated samples were identified as O. sinensis and all sequences were divided into seven phylogenetic groups in the tree. Those groups were precisely distributed on the map and the process of their system evolution was clearly presented. The three cultivated samples were clustered into two dominant groups, showing the correlation between the industrially cultivated samples and the dominant wild samples, which can provide references for its optimized breeding in the future.

DNA Barcoding for the Identification and Authentication of Animal Species in Traditional Medicine

Animal-based traditional medicine not only plays a significant role in therapeutic practices worldwide but also provides a potential compound library for drug discovery. However, persistent hunting and illegal trade markedly threaten numerous medicinal animal species, and increasing demand further provokes the emergence of various adulterants. As the conventional methods are difficult and time-consuming to detect processed products or identify animal species with similar morphology, developing novel authentication methods for animal-based traditional medicine represents an urgent need. During the last decade, DNA barcoding offers an accurate and efficient strategy that can identify existing species and discover unknown species via analysis of sequence variation in a standardized region of DNA. Recent studies have shown that DNA barcoding as well as minibarcoding and metabarcoding is capable of identifying animal species and discriminating the authentics from the adulterants in various types of traditional medicines, including raw materials, processed products, and complex preparations. These techniques can also be used to detect the unlabelled and threatened animal species in traditional medicine. Here, we review the recent progress of DNA barcoding for the identification and authentication of animal species used in traditional medicine, which provides a reference for quality control and trade supervision of animal-based traditional medicine.

Rapid and robust authentication of deer antler velvet product by fast PCR-RFLP analysis

Deer antler velvet is widely used as a vitalizing, tonifying, haemopoietic and strengthening agent for debilitated persons in East Asia. To develop a rapid and sensitive method for the identification of the biological source or origin in antler velvet products, a molecular approach was applied using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The cytochrome b gene sequences of nine cervidae species were analyzed, and a Dde I restriction endonuclease recognition site was found only in sika deer and red deer, the official origin of deer velvet in Chinese pharmacopoeia. A specific primer was designed, and rapid PCR amplified products were subjected to restriction digestion using a fast RFLP procedure. Sika deer and red deer showed two bands of 161 and 102 bp, in contrast to the undigested state of 263 from other antlers. The established PCR-RFLP method was applied in commercial velvet products, and a high frequency of substitution (50%) was revealed in collected commercial samples. The method was successful in detecting contaminated and adulterated antler products in Chinese patent drugs, and the whole detection process was accomplished within 1-1.5 h.

Peptidome characterization of the antipyretic fraction of Bubali Cornu aqueous extract by nano liquid chromatography with orbitrap mass spectrometry detection

In the present study, the antipyretic activity of Bubali Cornu (water buffalo horn) fraction and its metabolomics were investigated. The fraction decreased rat rectal temperature, and 13 endogenous metabolites were identified as potential biomarkers. Selected metabolites were involved in arachidonic acid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism etc. Following treatment with the fraction, four metabolites, pyroglutamic acid, palmitelaidic acid, leukotriene A4, and prostaglandin A2 were reversed. In addition, the levels of interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, prostaglandin E₂ , and cyclic adenosine monophosphate in plasma were also reversed after treatment as determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Furthermore, nano-flow liquid chromatography with orbitrap mass spectrometry detection was used to analyze the peptides in the fraction. In total, 824 peptide sequences mainly from keratins were determined, with Keratin 14, Keratin 34, and Keratin 86 representing the three main types of keratin hydrolysis in water buffalo horn based on peptide heat maps. Of the identified peptides, 81.2% were hydrophilic and the molecular weight of 70.3% of identified peptides was lower than 2000 Da. According to the metabolomics- and peptidomics-based approach used in the present study, it is feasible to identify and analyze the active peptide matrix from animal-horn-derived traditional Chinese medicines.

Identification of marine traditional Chinese medicine dried seahorses in the traditional Chinese medicine market using DNA barcoding

Seahorse documented in Chinese pharmacopeia possess important medicinal efficacy and are used as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicines. The growing international trade threatens the species. DNA barcoding holds a great application potentiality in wildlife conservation and might prevent the illegal trade of threatened species. The COI gene was used to identify seahorse, and nine Hippocampus species were found in the three large traditional Chinese medicines markets of China. All inter-specific genetic variations were larger than 2%. Mean genetic distances between species were 17-fold larger than those within the species. Phylogenetic tree showed that each species clustered in the appropriate branch. All results demonstrated that COI-based barcoding technique could be used to identify seahorse species and played a major role in monitoring the seahorse trade.

Available sustainable alternatives replace endangered animal horn based on their proteomic analysis and bio-effect evaluation

The use of endangered animal products in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and other ethno-medicines is culturally widespread across many regions of Asia. In the present study, traditional efficacies of seven types of animal horn including antipyretic, sedative and procoagulant activities were evaluated. Shotgun proteomic analysis was performed on material from horns following separation into soluble and insoluble fractions. Over 200 proteins were identified in each sample using nano LC-MS/MS, and these were classified according to their molecular function and cellular component using principal component analysis (PCA). The results indicated that seven horns showed antipyretic, sedative and procoagulant effect. Proteomic analysis showed that YH and WBH were similar to RH in terms of protein profile, and GH was similar to SAH. In addition, YH and GH were similar to RH in their cellular component classification profile. PCA based on the composition of keratin and keratin-associated proteins showed that constituents of WBH and GH were similar to RH and SAH, respectively. This is the first analysis of the protein content of animal horns used in TCM, and it is effective to substitute the horn of endangered animals with sustainable alternatives from domestic animals.

PGD: a pangolin genome hub for the research community

Pangolins (order Pholidota) are the only mammals covered by scales. We have recently sequenced and analyzed the genomes of two critically endangered Asian pangolin species, namely the Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica) and the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla). These complete genome sequences will serve as reference sequences for future research to address issues of species conservation and to advance knowledge in mammalian biology and evolution. To further facilitate the global research effort in pangolin biology, we developed the Pangolin Genome Database (PGD), as a future hub for hosting pangolin genomic and transcriptomic data and annotations, and with useful analysis tools for the research community. Currently, the PGD provides the reference pangolin genome and transcriptome data, gene sequences and functional information, expressed transcripts, pseudogenes, genomic variations, organ-specific expression data and other useful annotations. We anticipate that the PGD will be an invaluable platform for researchers who are interested in pangolin and mammalian research. We will continue updating this hub by including more data, annotation and analysis tools particularly from our research consortium.Database URL: http://pangolin-genome.um.edu.my.

Metabolomics of the Antipyretic Effects of Bubali Cornu (Water Buffalo Horn) in Rats

Bubali Cornu (water buffalo horn, WBH) has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as an effective treatment for heat. In the present study, we have carried out a metabolomics profiling study on plasma and urine samples to explore potential biomarkers and determine how WBH exerts its antipyretic effects in yeast-induced pyrexia at a metabolomic level. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), together with multivariate statistical analysis, was used to detect and identify potential biomarkers associated with pyrexia and with WBH treatment. In total, sixteen endogenous metabolites were identified in plasma samples and twenty-one metabolites were detected in urine samples. The biomarkers identified in this study, using metabolic pathway analysis (MetPA), are involved in glycerophospholipid, arachidonic acid, amino acid, sphingolipid, and purine metabolism, all of which are disturbed in rats with pyrexia. As a result, WBH affect arachidonic acid metabolism and oxidative stress in yeast-induced pyrexia rats chiefly. The present study determines the important substances underlying the antipyretic efficacy of WBH at a metabolic level. It might pave the way for further investigations into the mechanisms of action of other animal horn-derived traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs).

Survey of commercial Rhodiola products revealed species diversity and potential safety issues

The adulteration of herbal products is a threat to consumer safety. Here we surveyed the species composition of commercial Rhodiola products using DNA barcoding as a supervisory method. A Rhodiola dietary supplement DNA barcode database was successfully constructed using 82 voucher samples from 10 Rhodiola species. Based on the DNA barcoding standard operating procedure (SOP), we used this database to identify 100 Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizoma decoction piece samples that were purchased from drug stores and hospitals. The results showed that only 36 decoction piece sequences (40%) were authentic R. crenulata, which is recorded in Chinese Pharmacopeia, whereas the other samples were all adulterants and may indicate a potential safety issue. Among the adulterants, 35 sequences (38.9%) were authenticated as R. serrata, nine sequences (10%) were authenticated as R. rosea, which is documented in the United States Pharmacopeia, and the remaining samples were authenticated as other three Rhodiola species. This result indicates decoction pieces that are available in the market have complex origins and DNA barcoding is a convenient tool for market supervision.