Significance of Molecular Markers and DNA Based Technology in Research

BACKGROUND: There is a global as well national resurgence and revival of faith in drugs of plant origins. WHO has played a significant role in recognizing the relevance of these in today’s world. Herbal formulations and traditional medicines are generally polyherbal consisting of numerous bio-molecules because of which their identification and characterization is difficult. Also there are similar looking herbal materials that can often vary greatly in their medicinal properties. Thus the correct identification and quality is an essential prerequisite in quality assurance, safety and efficacy of the drug. Along with the morphological, pharmacognostical and chemical examination, molecular marker analysis has gained considerable importance in the standardization of herbs owing to many added advantages over the chemical markers. Molecular markers, DNA based technology, biostatistics and bioinformatics are an indispensible part of herbal drug research and standardization. DNA fingerprinting is one of the most promising tools for genome analysis as it not only identifies alterations in the genotypes of plant species, but is also used for the betterment of drug-yield by tissue culturing. This review provides a brief account of various molecular markers, DNA based technology and bioinformatics tools that are useful in herbal drug research and standardization with relevant examples.