To establish an effective method for detecting the components of Lychas mucronatus and investigating instances of adulteration with whole scorpions in Chinese patent medicines.

Thirty Chinese patent medicines containing whole scorpion components, as documented in the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, were collected. DNA was extracted, and differences in the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit Ⅰ(COⅠ) gene sequences were compared. Specific primers for the identification of Mesobuthus martensii and Lychas mucronatus DNA were designed. Annealing temperature, cycle number, Taq polymerase, and DNA concentration were optimized to establish the most suitable PCR identification system and conditions. The optimal PCR conditions for distinguishing the sharp-tailed wolf scorpion were finally determined to be an annealing temperature of 52 ℃, 36 cycles, 2×PCR Mix Taq enzyme, and 1 μL of DNA template. The developed method was applied to identify the presence of Centruroides gracilis components in 30 commercially available Chinese patent medicines.

Gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of authentic DNA bands specific to the Mesobuthus martensii in all 30 whole scorpion-containing Chinese patent medicines. Eighteen medicines (60%) showed a single specific DNA band between 100-250 bp, indicative of Lychas mucronatus, while the blank control exhibited no bands. Sequencing of the PCR products containing the identified Lychas mucronatus -specific bands, after TA cloning, revealed sequences with high similarity (92%-98%) to the reference sequences of Lychas mucronatus. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the obtained sequences belonged to the same lineage as Lychas mucronatus and were distinct from the Mesobuthus martensii. Therefore, the presence of a single band around 120 bp indicates the identification of Lychas mucronatus.

The presence of Lychas mucronatus components mixed with authentic scorpion materials in Chinese patent medicines indicates a need for strengthened supervision. The method established in this study enables the rapid and accurate detection of Lychas mucronatus components in Chinese patent medicines. This is beneficial for improving the quality control of whole scorpion-containing Chinese patent medicines, providing assurance for their clinical applications.