Unravelling the pharmacological applications and taxonomical challenges in Canscora species using DNA barcodes (taxon-specific DNA and high-throughput DNA barcodes): a systematic review

Abstract

The utilization of herbal-based remedies for disease prevention and treatment has proved its resilience, making a substantial contribution to the progress of traditional medicine. This therapeutic approach has demonstrated the efficacy of herbal drugs and has been an enduring practice. As a routine practice, the identification of plant species relies on morphological characteristics. However, there exist scenarios where the conventional strategies are inadequate due to the insufficient amount of material available for the examination. Molecular approaches for species distinction are promising, recognizing DNA or metabolite differences among taxa as biomarkers. This review focuses on the genus Canscora, known for its wide range of pharmacological uses, including antibacterial properties, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant. We explore the taxonomic challenges of this genus, which is made up of synonyms and morphologically overlapping features. We highlight the utility of DNA barcodes for accurate species identification and focus on investigating the taxon-specific, high-throughput DNA barcoding methods that emphasize the efficiency in validating molecules. Our findings highlight the potential of DNA barcoding to overcome the limitations of traditional techniques. This guarantees the accurate identification of Canscora species for medical purposes. The creation of a comprehensive DNA barcode library is recommended to promote phytochemical research, increase drug awareness, and protect biological diversity.

Full text

Vol.:(0123456789)
Plant Systematics and Evolution (2025) 311:11
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-025-01941-6
REVIEW
Unravelling thepharmacological applications andtaxonomical
challenges inCanscora species using DNA barcodes (taxon‑specific
DNA andhigh‑throughput DNA barcodes): asystematic review
KirubaRajamani1,2 · MohammedSuhaibAlHuq3 · DhivyaSelvaraj2· SathishkumarRamalingam1
Received: 17 April 2024 / Accepted: 25 February 2025 / Published online: 25 March 2025
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature 2025
Abstract
The utilization of herbal-based remedies for disease prevention and treatment has proved its resilience, making a substantial
contribution to the progress of traditional medicine. This therapeutic approach has demonstrated the efficacy of herbal drugs
and has been an enduring practice. As a routine practice, the identification of plant species relies on morphological char-
acteristics. However, there exist scenarios where the conventional strategies are inadequate due to the insufficient amount
of material available for the examination. Molecular approaches for species distinction are promising, recognizing DNA
or metabolite differences among taxa as biomarkers. This review focuses on the genus Canscora, known for its wide range
of pharmacological uses, including antibacterial properties, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant. We explore the
taxonomic challenges of this genus, which is made up of synonyms and morphologically overlapping features. We highlight
the utility of DNA barcodes for accurate species identification and focus on investigating the taxon-specific, high-throughput
DNA barcoding methods that emphasize the efficiency in validating molecules. Our findings highlight the potential of DNA
barcoding to overcome the limitations of traditional techniques. This guarantees the accurate identification of Canscora spe-
cies for medical purposes. The creation of a comprehensive DNA barcode library is recommended to promote phytochemical
research, increase drug awareness, and protect biological diversity.
Keywords Canscora· High-throughput DNA barcoding· Taxon-specific DNA barcodes· Therapeutic properties
Introduction
Approximately 5.6 billion individuals, accounting for 80% of
the global population, are believed to rely on herbal medici-
nal products (HMP) as their primary healthcare solution.
HMP remains the primary source of general health care for
more than 90% of Africans, 70% of Indians, and 40% of
the Chinese population (Abubakar etal. 2017). In general,
a medical product is termed an HMP if only it contains an
active ingredient from an herbal source. It is estimated that
about 25% of medications in current pharmacopoeia are
produced directly or indirectly from plants (Abubakar etal.
2017; Palhares etal. 2015).
The demand for pharmaceuticals, food supplements,
herbal medicines, medicinal plants, and healthcare prod-
ucts is steadily increasing on a global scale. According to
estimates, the global market for medicinal and aromatic
plants would increase from US $62 billion in 2002 to US $5
trillion by 2050, signalling a paradigm shift away from an
allopathic healthcare system (Shinwari 2010). Even though
HMPs have been widely used for long, concerns in relation
to their assessment and quality control have always been a
big issue since low-quality raw materials or final products
may have an array of undesirable effects on humans. Accord-
ing to WHO, counterfeiting of herbal products amounts not
Handling Editor: Yingxiong Qiu.
* Sathishkumar Ramalingam
rsathish@buc.edu.in
1 Plant Genetic Engineering Laboratory, Department
ofBiotechnology, Bharathiar University,
Coimbatore641046, India
2 Department ofBiotechnology, PSGR Krishnammal College
forWomen, Coimbatore641004, India
3 Center ofExcellence inNanoTechnology andAdvanced
Materials (CENTAM), Department ofElectronics
andCommunication Engineering, Amrita School
ofEngineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham,
Tiruvallur601103, India
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