STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF GINSENG COMPONENTS ON DIABETES MELLITUS

Red ginseng powder was administered at a dose of 2.7 g per day for 3 months to 21 diabetic patients who were under the treatment with insulin. It was found that the ginseng powder was effective to 12 patients and ineffective to 9 patients. Based on these clinical results, experiments were carried out to elucidate factors which concerned with improvement of pathological conditions of diabetes mellitus. In the previous symposium, we reported that red ginseng powder contained an anti-lipolytic peptide, or an insulin-like peptide. In the course of purification of the insulin-like peptide in the ginseng, we found another fraction which possessed anti-lipolytic activity. The anti-lipolytic factor of the fraction was purified by gel filtration on Bio Gel P-2 column and Dowex $50W{\times}4$ column chromatography. The character of the finally purified material was examined by thin-layer chromatography, high-speed liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. With these examinations, the active principle was indentified to be adenosine. Pharmacological significance of these insulin-like substances, the peptide and adenosine, was discussed.