• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 1986

Ginseng saponin had an effect on the proliferation and viability of cultured murine thymocytes. When the thymocytes were cultured in various concentrations of ginseng saponin, the number of thymocytes increased at $10^{-5}$% ginseng saponin but decreased at $10^{-5}$%. There was little change in the number of thymocytes when cultured in IL 2(Interleukin 2), a factor known for its influence on the proliferation and maturation of thymocytes. When the thymocytes were cultured in various concentrations of IL 2 with $10^{-5}$% ginseng saponin, the number of total cells increased at 1.5% or 3% IL 2 when cultured for 9 hours, or at 6% IL 2 for 12, 24, or 48 hours. But there was little change in the number of viable cells. In vitro, ginseng saponin had an effect on the activity of ADA(Adenosine Deaminase), an enzyme known to affect the production of IL 2. There was a 25% increase in the activity of ADA in the presence of $10^{-5}$% ginseng saponin.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.212-218
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• 1995

A human hepatoma cell line, hep G2, was used to investigate the mechanism of serum cholesterol reduction by ginseng total saponin, ginsenoside-$Rb_1$, - $Rb_2$, and non-saponin fraction (ether extraction). Hep G2 cells were incubated in 10 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml of cholesterol containing serum free-RPMl1640 medium with various concentration of ginseng components. The amounts of cholesterol in Hep G2 cells were decreased to maximum 51% in total saponin or two ginsenoside-treated groups while there was 137% increase in cholesterol level of control group as compared with that of normal group. Nonsaponin groups did not show the same effect. In order to elucidate the observed changes in the amount of cholesterol, the activity of amyl CoA : cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) in groups showing remarkable reduction in cholesterol amount, i.e., total saponin 10-6%, ginsenoside-$Rb_1$ $10^{-4}$%, ginsenoside-$Rb_2$, $10^{-4}$%, and non-saponin fraction $10^{-4}$%, was assayed using [1-$^{-14}C$%]oleic acid as enzyme substrate. The activity of ACAT was increased in all groups tested as compared with that of control group except for non-saponin group cultured in water soluble cholesterol containing medium. The serum cholesterol lowering effects of ginseng components can partially be attributed to the increased hepatocellular ACAT activity.

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

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.241-247
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• 1996

The effects of ginseng total saponin, ginsenoside-Rb, and -Rb, on the reduction of chmlesterol level and the myNA expression rates of HMG CoA reductase and LDL receptor in Hep G2 were investigated and compared with that of lovastatin, a competitive HMG CoA reductase Inhibitor. The amounts of cholesterol in Hep G2 decreased in total saponin-and ginsenoside-treated groups as compared with that of control group, while there was no significant reduction in lovastatin-treated group. The mRNA expression rates of HMG CoA reductase increased in total saponin and gin- senoside groups except for ginsenoside-Rb, (10-3%) group and decreased in lovastatin group com- pared with that of control group. The mRNA expression rates of LDL receptor generally increased In all of the test groups except for total saponin (10-5%) group compared with that of control group. Because the ginseng components tested were more effective in the reduction of cholesterol level in Hep G2 than lovastatin and induced the gene expression of LDL receptor, we suggest the possibility that they could be used as a replacement agent for lovastatin which can not be prescribed especially to patients with hepatic diseases.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.139-144
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• 2002

Pregnancy is a physiological state accompained by a high energy demand of many bodily functions and an increased oxygen requirement. Because of the increased intake and utilization of oxygen, increased levels of oxidative stress would be expected. So we observed the activities of the hepatic antioxidant enzymes from rat treated with total saponin from the red ginseng against free raicals produced in pregnant rats. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the control group was slightly decreased during pregnancy, and SOD activity in total saponin treated group was not observed any siginificant change compared with the control group. The activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione reductase (GRD) and catalase in the control group have shown the decreasing tendency during pregnancy, whereas the activities of GRD and catalase in total saponin treated group showed significant increased tendency compared with the control group. GPX activity in total saponin treated group was slightly decreased tendnency compared with the control group. The activity of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in the control group was increased to keep the state of homaeostasis tendency in pregnant rats. On the other hand, the activity of GST after total saponin treatment was increased than control group. Activity of all enzymes in the control group and total saponin treated group recovered the normal level after delivery of rats. In spite of the physiological changes in vivo, the inflaunce of total saponin on activaties of hepatic antioxidant enzyme in pregnant rats seems to be regulated the biological homeostatic adaptation mechanism which protects the maternal liver aganist oxygen induced toxicity

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1993.09a
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• pp.127-131
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• 1993

The effects of total ginseng saponin. extracts of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, on the differentiation of F9 teratocarcinoma stem cells were studied. F9 stem cells cultured in the presence of ginseng saponin together with dibutyric cAMP became parietal endoderm - like cells. Moreover, the expressions of differentiation marker genes. laminin. type IV collagen. and retinoic acid $receptor-{\beta}(RAR{\beta})$ were increased after treatment of ginseng saponin. Among various ginsenosides purified from crude ginseng saponin, $Rh_1\;and\;Rh_2$ caused the differentiation of F9 cells most effectively. Since ginsenosides and steroid hormone show resemblance in chemical structure. we studied the possibility of the involvement of a steroid receptor in the differentiation process induced by ginsenosides. According to Southwestern blot analysis, a 94 kDa protein regarding as a steroid receptor was detected in F9 cells cultured in the medium containing ginseng saponin. Based on these data, we suggest that ginseng saponin, especially ginsenosides $Rh_1\;and\;Rh_2$ cause the differentiation of F9 cells and the effects of ginsenosides might be exerted via binding with a steroid receptor or its analogous nuclear receptor.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.65-72
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• 1981

In this experiment, observations were made on the effects of ginseng saponin, one of the major components of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng, C. A. Meyer) root, on the membranes of microorganism (E. coli K-12), the concentration of intracelluar and extracellular cycle AMP therein, and uptake of U-14C-glucose. When the E. coli were grown on media containing 0.1% ginseng saponin, the growth was faster than for that of the control by about 30 minutes. The lysis of E. coli grown on the ginseng saponin medium increased to about double that of the control in the stationary phase. And the amount of protein and lipopolysaccharides in the outer cell meberances increased 25% and 80% respectively in comparison with the control. By electron microscope observation, it was shown that the periplasmic region of the E. coli grown on the ginseng saponin medium was widened it was observed that the cellular cyclic AMP content of the E. coli increased significantly to the hightest levels between the late exponential phase and early stationary phase. The total cyclic AMP content of E. coli grown on the ginseng saponin medium decreased about 50% when compared to that of the control.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.157-164
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• 1994

Hairy root clones of Panax ginseng were established by selection of some hairy roots formed on the leaf, stem and root segments transformed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain $A_4$. The transformed roots grew well in MS medium under the dark condition. To confirm the transformation with Ri-T-DNA, dot blot hybridization and opine analysis were Performed. Among four hairy roots induced from different part of ginseng, the HB3 hairy roots were examined for selection of high-saponin-producing clones. Four clones isolated from HB3 hairy root cultures displayed various phenotypes characterized by growth and total saponin content. Maximum growth was obtained for cultures of HB3-10 clone and the content of total saponin was 0.55 wt%. However, higher amount of total saponin was obtained with HB3-2 clone cultures(0.74 wt%) in spite of lower growth. Dot blot hybridization confirmed the introduction of Ri-T-DNA in the plant genome. In the opine test, agropine and mannopine were detected from all hairy root clones.

• The Journal of Traditional Korean Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.97-105
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• 2006

To study on antioxidant effects in the liver of 40-week-old mouse, the sample were orally pretreated 5mg/kg/day for 5 days with red ginseng saponin components(total saponin, protopanaxadiol saponin, protopanaxatriol saponin, ginsenoside-Rd, ginsenoside-Re, compound-K) for 5 days. The ability of saponin to protect the mouse liver from oxidative damage was examined by determining the activity of superoxide dismutase(SOD), glutathione peroxidase(GPx) and the contents of glutathione, the level of malondialdehyde, The only protopanaxadiol among the ginseng saponin fractions was significantly increased the hepatic SOD activity(p<0.01). The red ginseng saponin induced a slight increase of GPx activity, especially ginsenoside Rd, compound K and protopanaxatriol treatments significantly increased its activity. The content of glutathione was significantly increased by total saponin, protopanaxadiol and ginsenoside Rd(p<0.01), but the oxidized glutathione level was lowered in all the red ginseng saponin. Finally, the level of malondialdehyde was significantly decreased by ginsenoside Rd and protopanaxadiol. In conclusion, protopanaxadiol and ginsenoside Rd among the saponin fraction were especially increased in the activity of hepatic antioxidative enzyme and decreased the lipid peroxidation that was expressed in term of MDA formation. This comprehensive antioxidant effects of red ginseng saponin seems to be by a certain action of saponin other than a direct antioxidant action.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.93-97
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• 2010

To enhance the functionalities of ginseng, an acid impregnation pre-treatment was applied during red ginseng processing. Acetic, ascorbic, citric, malic, lactic, and oxalic acid were used for the acid impregnation treatment, and total and crude saponin concentrations and ginsenoside patterns were evaluated. Total and crude saponin contents of red ginseng pre-treated by acetic, ascorbic, and citric acid were similar to those of red ginseng without pre-treatment, whereas lactic, malic, and oxalic acid pre-treatment caused a reduction of total and crude saponin in red ginseng. From the high performance liquid chromatography analysis of ginsenosides, increased $Rg_3$ density was shown in red ginseng pre-treated by acetic, ascorbic, and citric acid impregnation. In the case of lactic, malic, and oxalic acid pre-treatment, increased $Rg_1$ density was observed in red ginseng. Increased $Rg_1$ and $Rg_3$ contents due to acid impregnation during red ginseng processing may contribute to improving bioactive functionalities of red ginseng.