• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.6-12
• /
• 1991

The analgesic effect of morphine was antagonized in mice pretreated with ginseng total saponin intraperitoneally, intracerebrally and intrathecally. The antagonized effects of morphine analgesia were reversed predominantly by treatment with L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine in the tail pinch test and 5-hydroxytryptophan in the tail flick test respectively. These indicate that the antagonistic action of ginseng total saponin might be due to their inhibitions of the activation of descending ihibitory systems at the cerebral site as well as spinal. In addition, any appreciable changes of brain biogenic monoamine levels were not observed in mice pretreated with ginseng total saponin at various time intervals. These results obtained suggest that a newly equilibrated state of neurologic function could be found in mice pretreated with ginseng total saponin, and modification of neurologic function in the mechanism for the antagonism of morphine analgesia by ginseng total saponin was more important than the changes of brain biogenic monoamine levels.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.24-28
• /
• 1992

Red ginseng extracts were prepared with various concentrations of ethanol. Extract yields were examined and saponins in the extracts were identified and determined by TLC and HPLC, respectively. Yields of the extracts, $19.7{\sim]50.3%$, were the highest in water extract and showed significant decrease with the increase of ethanol concentration used for extraction. Contrary to the extract yields, saponin yields from red ginseng were conspicuously increased with the increase of ethanol concentration and were $3.47{\sim}5.13%$ of crude saponins and $1.28{\sim}1.93%$ of six major ginsenosides. Saponin contents in the red ginseng extracts were $6.9{\sim}24.2%$, of crude saponin and $2.57{\sim}9.22%$, of six major ginsenosides.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.210-216
• /
• 1992

The effect of saponin extracted from Panax grneng CA Meyer on DNA repair and replicative DNA synthesis were examined in CHO-Kl cells cotreated with benzo(a)pyrene and rat liver S-15 fraction. The DNA strand breaks inititated by benzo(a)pyrene metabolites were measured by alkaline election technique. The addition of ginseng saponin to the culture media resulted in decrease of benzo(a)pyrene-induced DNA strand breaks, and restored the suppressed-semiconservative-DNA-synthesis by the carcinogen. DNA repair synthesis in the damaged cells was also elevated by the ginseng treatment when the repairing activites were measured for the (3H)-thymidine incorporation into the carcinogen damaged cellular DNk Comparative analysis of DNA-adduces of benzo(a)pyrene metabortes in microsomes suggested that ginseng saponin treatment in rats reduced the formation of electrophilic metabolites of benzo (a)-pyrene in the rat liver microsomes.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.99-105
• /
• 1991

This experiment was performed to investigate the effects of ginseng saponin fraction and cyclophosphamide (CY) on the tumor development, the antitumor effect and the tumoricidal activity of mouse macrophage. When mice were treated with saponin or CY following inoculation with Sarcoma 180, tumor development was inhibited and survival ratio increased, and a combination of both treatments further inhibited the tumor development. Tumoricidal activity of macrophage was effectively increased at 10-7% concentration of CY and it was further increased when macrophage was cotreated with saponin and CY. Tumoricidal activity of macrophage was greatest at the third day after inoculating tumor cell. Both saponin and CY increased the chemiluminescence of macrophage, but CY had no effect on releasing TNF, unlike saponin.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
• /
• 1993.09a
• /
• pp.40-48
• /
• 1993

Intravenous administration of saponin extracted from the root of Panax ginseng lowered the blood pressure dose-dependently (10-200 mg/kg, B.W) in anesthetized rats. Therefore, experiments were designed to study the hypothesis that the lowering of blood pressure is associated with the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor and the accumulation of guanosine 3, 5-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP). Rings of thoracic aorta with and without endothelium were suspended for the measurement of isometric tension in organ chamber and the tissue content of cGMP was measured by radioimmunoassay. All experiments were performed in the presence of $indomethacin(10^{-5}M).$ Ginseng saponin $(10^{-5}-3{\times}10^{-6}g/ml)$ relaxed contractions induced by phenylephrine $10^{-6}M)$ in the aorta with endothelium but not in that without endothelium. Treatment of aortic rings with $N^G$ monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA, $10^{-4}M$ for 30 min), a competitive inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, and methylene blue $(MB,\;3{\times}10^{-7}M$ for 30 min). an inhibitor of soluble guanylate cyclase, diminished the relaxation induced by Ginseng saponin. Ginseng saponin $10^{-4}g/ml$ for 2 min) increased the accumulation of cGMP in rings with endothelium. L-NMMA and MB inhibited the accumulation of cGMP induced by Ginseng saponin. These data suggest that vascular relaxations induced by Ginseng saponin are mediated by release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor and the accumulation of cGMP. The effect of Ginseng saponin on endothelial function in hypercholesterolemic rabbits was examined. In hypercholesterolemic rabbits fed with $2\%$ cholesterol for 8 weeks, relaxation of aortic rings to acetylcholine was impaired. The impaired relaxations of aortic rings in hypercholesterolemic rabbits were improved by dietary supplementation of Ginseng saponin, probably because of an improved release of endothelium - derived relaxing factor.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.342-349
• /
• 1984

In order to obtain the basic information for the development of ginseng varieties with high saponin contents. saponin contents and ginsenosides of Panax ginseng (Korean ginseng) and Panax quinquefolium (American ginseng) grown under the same environmental conditions were analysed. Crude saponin contents of root and aerial parts were more in Panax quinquefolium than in Panax ginseng, and aerial parts had more saponin contents in comparison with a root. Protopanaxatriol saponin was greatly more in the aerial parts of ginseng while more amount of protopanaxadiol saponins were detected in the root. As for the ginsenosides, the patterns of ginsenosides detected in total saponin of the aerial parts were not different between two species, Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolium, but the root ginsenoside patterns were quite different. Ginsenosides such as Rg$_2$, R$_{f}$. R$_{a}$ and R$_{o}$ were not detected in the root of Panax quinquefolium (American ginseng).).).).

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.297-302
• /
• 1990

The effects of ginseng saponin on the activity of serum alanine aminoiransferase (ALT) in trained rats were examined. The trained group was given a chronic swimming bout (approx. 90 min/day) for 50 days, and ginseng group was given an oral administration of ginseng saponin (150mg/kg/day) for 2 weeks. Ginseng treated-trained group was given an oral administration of ginseng saponin for 2 weeks prior to the termination of a swimming bout. In this experiment, male rats of Sprague-Dawley strain (250 $\pm$ 20 g) were used. The activities of serum ALT in trained and in ginseng groups increased 72.89% (P < 0.01) and 57.14% (P < 0.01) than in control groups, respectively. Also, the activities of serum ALT increased 69.66% (P <0.01) in saline treated-trained group, and 79.31% (P < 0.01) in ginseng treated-trained group than in control groups which were given saline solution and kept sedentary. The effect of ginseng saponin, as revealed by comparing the ginseng treated-trained group with the saline treated-trained group, was not significant. The present study suggests that training and ginseng saponin significantly increased the activity of serum ALT in rats, but that, in ginseng treated-trained group, ginseng saponin did not raise any further the increased activity of serum ALT by training.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.19-20
• /
• 1962

Ginseng saponin was tested for the anticholesterolemic property by a "three-day fasting method". The results indicate that ginseng saponin has not significant anticholesterolemic activity on rabbits. P. Griminger previously offered the postulate that saponin-cholesterol complex formation causes anticolesterolemic effect in chicks. Above results, however, suggests that the postulate is not the whole answer for the anticholesterolemic activity of saponin.f saponin.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.274-283
• /
• 1998

It has generally been accepted that quality of ginseng should be determined not by the content of a single component but by composition and balance of total active principles. However, there still can be an exception with a product in which a given ginsenoside is used for the treatment of a specific disease. Although ginsenosides have been regarded to be major active components of ginseng and employed as index components for the quality control, it does not consistent with the traditional concept on ginseng quality creterion; main root has been more highly appreciated than the lateral or fine root. Content of ginsenosides in the lateral or fine root is much higher than that in main root. However, the ratio of protopanaxadiol (PD) and protopanaxatriol (PT) saponins existing in various part of ginseng root is greatly different. The ratio of PD/PT saponins in main root is well balanced but the thinner the root is the higher the ratio. Thus far, a total of 34 different kinds of ginsenosides have been isolated from Korean (red) ginseng, and their pharmacological activities were elucidated partly. Interestingly, different ginsenoside shows similar or contrary effects to each other in biological systems, thus indicating the significance of absolute content of single ginsenoside as well as compositional patterns of each ginsenoside. Therefore, pharmacological activities of ginseng should be determined as a wholly concept. In these regards, standardization of ginseng material (fresh ginseng root) should be preceded to the standardization of ginseng products because ginsenoside content and non-saponin active principles such as polysaccharides and nitrogen (N)-containing compound including proteins are significantly different from part to part of the root. In other words, the main root contains less ginsenosides than other lateral or fine roots. Contents of polysaccharides and N-containing compound in main root is higher. However, the quality control of ginseng products focused on non-saponin compounds has limitation in applying to the analytical method, because of the difficult chemical analysis of these compounds. Content of ginsenosides, and ratios of PD/PT and ginsenoside Rb,/Rg, are inversely proportional to the diameter of ginseng root. Therefore, these can be served as the chemical parameters for the indirect method of evaluating from what part of the root does the material originate. Furthermore, contents of polysaccharides and N-containing compounds show inverse relationship to saponin content. Therefore, it seems that index for analytical chemistry of saponin can be applied to the indirect method of evaluating not only saponin but also non-saponin compounds of ginseng. From these viewpoints, it is strongly recommended that quality of ginseng or ginseng products be judged not only by the absolute content of given ginsenoside but also by varieties and compositional balance of ginsenosides, including contents of non-saponin active principles.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.155-160
• /
• 1998

This stuffy was carried to establish a new efficient method for the preparation of edible crude ginseng saponin. The conventional butanol extraction and resin adsorption methods were compared for the contents of total crude ginseng saponin and major ginsenosides. Seventy- percent methanol extract was applied to Diaion HP-20 column and the resin was washed with Hn and eluted with absolute methanol. The methanol elute was dried in vivo and analyzed for its ginsenosides. Use of ethanol instead of methanol to make edible crude ginseng saponin gave a similar result. Butanol extraction was performed by the conventional method. The final aqueous layer from butanol extraction was passed through Diaion HP-20 column followed by elution with methanol and Diaion HP-20 passed fraction was extracted with butanol to recover remaining components, respectively, in order to determine saponin loss. TLC and HPLC qualitatively and quantitatively monitored Ginsenosides, respectively. Loss of ginsenosides was higher in butanol extraction method than in Diction HP-20 adsorption method. In addition, saponin fractions prepared by Diction HP-20 adsorption method showed higher content of each ginsenoside, showing 8.2% higher purity than that of butanol extracted fraction. From these results, we propose the resin adsorption method as a new efficient measure for the preparation of crude ginseng saponin, which is edible by using spirit instead of methanol.