{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T15:18:27Z","timestamp":1780067907450,"version":"3.54.0"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,27]],"date-time":"2022-04-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1651017600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: A reliable and science-based taxonomic determination of Papaver somniferum L. (opium poppy), the illegal species of the genus Papaver, may have practical and legal implications for law enforcement. P. somniferum is a controlled plant because of its narcotic substances, such as morphine and codeine. As poppy plants have rather similar morphological features, both chemical and genetic analysis are required in order to achieve an accurate characterization of such species. The chemical structures of alkaloids are extremely variable even within the same species, which is why the genetic approach may lead to a more scientific Papaver sp. differentiation. The aim of our study was the taxonomic identification of poppy capsules seized by the Italian Police Forces being considered as potential P. somniferum derivatives. Methods: The alkaloids detected using gas chromatography\/mass-spectrometry (GC\/MS) were morphine, codeine, thebaine, noscapine, meconin, hydrocotarnine, and traces of papaverine. Further genetic analysis was carried out simultaneously using three plastid DNA barcoding regions (matK, trnH-psbA, and rbcL) for the samples\u2019 identification. Results: The Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method showed that the analysed samples were genetically identical. Conclusions: The morphological, toxicological, and genetic profile of the samples revealed that they belonged to P. somniferum species. Furthermore, the alkaloid content of dried poppy capsules might be used to investigate and track their origin.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biology11050672","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,27]],"date-time":"2022-04-27T13:40:57Z","timestamp":1651066857000},"page":"672","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Forensic Application of Genetic and Toxicological Analyses for the Identification and Characterization of the Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum L.)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0561-3442","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roberta","family":"Tittarelli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9257-9667","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Angelo","family":"Gismondi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Botany, Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Science, University Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1369-4895","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gabriele","family":"Di Marco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Botany, Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Science, University Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Federico","family":"Mineo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Francesca","family":"Vernich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0819-7680","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carmelo","family":"Russo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luigi Tonino","family":"Marsella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Section of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Social Security and Forensic Toxicology, Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1132-8899","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonella","family":"Canini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Botany, Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Science, University Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"917","DOI":"10.1039\/B408930H","article-title":"Determination of alkaloids in capsules, milk and ethanolic extracts of poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) by ATR-FT-IR and FT-Raman spectroscopy","volume":"129","author":"Schulz","year":"2004","journal-title":"Analyst"},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"103","article-title":"Variability of alkaloid content in Papaver somniferum L.","volume":"82","author":"Dittbrenner","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. 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