Grayanotoxins are neurotoxins that are mainly produced by plants of Genus Rhododendron. Among the plants native to Korea, R. yedoense (royal azalea) and R. brachycarpum are widely known to contain grayanotoxins, R. mucronulatum (azalea), on the other hand, is known to be non-toxic and its flower has been widely eaten as food. However, a few azalea intoxication cases have been reported, showing the possibility of azalea toxicity. In this study, we tried to determine the cause of the reported azalea intoxication cases if they were caused by genuine toxicity of azalea or by royal azalea mistaken as azalea. Samples of three species of Rhododendron were collected and analyzed by LC-MS/MS to detect Grayanotoxin Ⅰ and Ⅲ. As a result, 4 out of 10 azalea flower samples contained grayanotoxins suggesting that some azaleas can cause grayanotoxin poisoning. To identify differences between the toxic and non-toxic azaleas, DNA barcoding was performed. By comparing their barcoding sequences of chloroplasts, it was found that the toxic azaleas contain DNA sequences which present in royal azaleas in rbcL region. The relationship between the change in rbcL region and synthesis of grayanotoxins is not clear, but it implies that more DNA changes could have occurred in the toxic azaleas to produce grayanotoxins. In conclusion, azalea flowers with DNA changes can cause grayanotoxin poisoning. Further studies on the DNA differences and the effect of environment on the expression of grayanotoxins are necessary to figure out the cause of the random toxicity by azalea.
목차
Abstract Ⅰ. 서론 Ⅱ. 실험방법 1. 시약 및 재료 2. 표준물질 3. 시료 채취 4. 시료 전처리 5. LC-MS/MS 기기 및 조건 6. DNA 추출 및 PCR 증폭 7. Sequencing 및 염기서열 분석 Ⅲ. 결과 Ⅳ. 고찰 Ⅴ. 사사 Ⅵ. 참고문헌
법과학 분야는 사회정의 구현에 있어 크나큰 가치가 있음에도 불구하고 우리나라에서는 이 분야에 대한 인식이 미흡하여 선진 외국에 비해 침체되어 있는 실정이다. 이에 우리나라에서도 법과학 분야와 관련 있는 학계, 연구기관, 수사기관 등 유관 단체들로 구성된 한국 법과학회를 창립하여 이 분야를 활성화 시켜 과학수사를 한층 더 발전시키기 위함을 목적으로 한다.