• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.24-30
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• 2013

Red ginseng is a widely used dietary supplement and medicinal herb, and there are so many forms of ginseng products including tea, extract, capsule and jelly. The purpose of the present study was to propose some amendments on ginsenoside content of red ginseng products in Korea. For this purpose, we analyzed red ginseng products for simultaneous determination of 26 ginsenosides by ultra performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector. Some developmental aspects of Korea's ginsenoside content standard regulations for red ginseng products are needed to be examined as follows : Firstly, we proposed that four ginsenosides ($Rb_1$, $Rg_1$, Rf and $Rg_3$) would be detected in red ginseng products. Secondly, in case of red ginseng extracts, the sum of $Rb_1$, $Rg_1$ and $Rg_3$ would be 4.0 mg/g. The two proposals are helpful to comprehensive evaluation of quality of red ginseng products. In conclusion, the scientific studies on amendment scheme of ginsenoside content standard regulation of red ginseng product are very important to fortify quality control.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.405-416
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• 2024

Background: Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is the main pathological change in vascular remodeling, a complex cardiopulmonary disease caused by hypoxia. Some research results have shown that ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) can improve vascular remodeling, but the effect and mechanism of Rg1 on hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension are not clear. The purpose of this study was to discuss the potential mechanism of action of Rg1 on HPH. Methods: C57BL/6 mice, calpain-1 knockout mice and Pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) were exposed to a low oxygen environment with or without different treatments. The effect of Rg1 and calpain-1 silencing on inflammation, fibrosis, proliferation and the protein expression levels of calpain-1, STAT3 and p-STAT3 were determined at the animal and cellular levels. Results: At the mouse and cellular levels, hypoxia promotes inflammation, fibrosis, and cell proliferation, and the expression of calpain-1 and p-STAT3 is also increased. Ginsenoside Rg1 administration and calpain-1 knockdown, MDL-28170, and HY-13818 treatment showed protective effects on hypoxia-induced inflammation, fibrosis, and cell proliferation, which may be associated with the downregulation of calpain-1 and p-STAT3 expression in mice and cells. In addition, overexpression of calpain 1 increased p-STAT3 expression, accelerating the onset of inflammation, fibrosis and cell proliferation in hypoxic PASMCs. Conclusion: Ginsenoside Rg1 may ameliorate hypoxia-induced pulmonary vascular remodeling by suppressing the calpain-1/STAT3 signaling pathway.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.524-530
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• 2017

Background: Panax ginseng is a physiologically active plant widely used in traditional medicine that is characterized by the presence of ginsenosides. Rb1, a major ginsenoside, is used as the starting material for producing ginsenoside derivatives with enhanced pharmaceutical potentials through chemical, enzymatic, or microbial transformation. Methods: To investigate the bioconversion of ginsenoside Rb1, we prepared kimchi originated bacterial strains Leuconostoc mensenteroides WiKim19, Pediococcus pentosaceus WiKim20, Lactobacillus brevis WiKim47, Leuconostoc lactis WiKim48, and Lactobacillus sakei WiKim49 and analyzed bioconversion products using LC-MS/MS mass spectrometer. Results: L. mesenteroides WiKim19 and Pediococcus pentosaceus WiKim20 converted ginsenoside Rb1 into the ginsenoside Rg3 approximately five times more than Lactobacillus brevis WiKim47, Leuconostoc lactis WiKim48, and Lactobacillus sakei WiKim49. L mesenteroides WIKim19 showed positive correlation with b-glucosidase activity and higher transformation ability of ginsenoside Rb1 into Rg3 than the other strains whereas, P. pentosaceus WiKim20 showed an elevated production of Rb3 even with lack of b-glucosidase activity but have the highest acidity among the five lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Conclusion: Ginsenoside Rg5 concentration of five LABs have ranged from ${\sim}2.6{\mu}g/mL$ to $6.5{\mu}g/mL$ and increased in accordance with the incubation periods. Our results indicate that the enzymatic activity along with acidic condition contribute to the production of minor ginsenoside from lactic acid bacteria.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.23 no.1 s.53
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• pp.50-54
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• 1999

In this paper, the saponin enzymatic hydrolysis of ginsenoside Rg3 was studied. The $ginsenoside-{\beta}-glucosidase$ from FFCDL-48 strain mainly hydrolyzed the ginsenoside Rg3 to Rh2, the enzyme from FFCDL-00 strain hydrolyzed Rg3 to the mixture of Rh2 and protopanaxadiol (aglycon). The $ginsenoside-{\beta}-glucosidase$ from FFCDL-48 strain was purified with a column of DEAE-Cellulose to one spot in the SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. During the purification, the enzyme specific acitvity was increased about 10 times. The purified $ginsenoside-{\beta}-glucosidase$ can hydrolyze the Rg3 to Rh2, but do not hydrolyze the $p-nitrophenyl-{\beta}-glucoside$ which is a substrate of original exocellulase such as ${\beta}-glucosidase$ of cellulose. The molecular weight of $ginsenoside-{\beta}-glucosidase$ was 34,000, the optimal temperature of enzyme reaction was $50^{\circ}C,$ and the optimal pH was 5.0.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.320-325
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to develop a new preparation process of Notoginseng root(Panax notoginseng) extracts having high concentrations of ginsenoside $Rg_3$, $Rg_5$, $Rk_1$ and $Rh_4$, a special component of Red and Black ginseng(Panax ginseng). Chemical transformation from ginseng saponin to prosapogenin was analyzed by the HPLC. Extracts of Notoginseng root was processed under several treatment conditions including microwave and vinegar(about 14% acidity) treatments. Results of those treatments showed that the quantity of ginsenoside $Rg_3$ increased by over 7.6% at 15 minutes of pH 2~4 vinegar and microwave treatments. The results of processing with MPN-15 indicate that the microwave and vinegar(about 14% acidity) processed Notoginseng root extracts that had gone through 15-minute treatments were found to contain the largest amount of ginsenoside $Rg_3$(7.639%), $Rg_5$(6.061%), $Rk_1$(1.516%) and $Rh_4$(1.599). It is thought that such results provide basic information in preparing Notoginseng root extracts with functionality enhanced.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.277-285
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• 2008

Panax ginseng C.A. Mayer (Araliaceae, P. ginseng) has been used for the enhancement of vascular and immune functions in Korea and Japan for a long time. Ginsenoside $Rb_1$ and $Rg_3$ isolated from P. ginseng head-part butanolic extract (PGHB) were investigated for anti-inflammatory activity. Ginsenosides and PGHB did not affect the cell viability within $0\;-\;100\;{\mu}g/ml$ concentration to RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. Ginsenosides and PGHB inhibited partly lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitrite production in a dose-dependent manner. The ginsenosides and PGHB showed partially chemical nitric oxide (NO) quenching (maximum 40%) in the cell-free system. Also, ginsenoside $Rb_1$ and $Rg_3$ inhibited markedly approximately 74 and 54% of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA transcription from LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Taken together, the inhibitory effect of ginsenosides and PGHB on NO production did not occur as a result of cell viability, but was caused by both the chemical NO quenching and the regulation of iNOS. Additionally, the ginsenoside $Rb_1$ and PGHB inhibited prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner, showed approximately 70-98% inhibition at $100\;{\mu}g/ml$ concentration. And the treatment with ginsenosides and PGHB attenuated partially LPS-upregulated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene transcription. Ginsenoside $Rg_3$ suppressed LPS-stimulated interleukin-6 (IL-6) level to the basal in RAW 264.7 cells. From these results, ginsenoside $Rb_1,\;Rg_3$, and PGHB may be useful for the relief and retardation of immunological inflammatory responses and its action may occur through the reduction of inflammatory mediators, including NO, $PGE_2$, and IL-6 production.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.291-299
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• 2008

The fresh ginseng roots were extracted in aqueous methanol (MeOH), and the obtained extracts were partitioned using ethyl acetate (EtOA), n-butanol (n-BuOH), and water, successively. The repeated silica gel column chromatography for n-BuOH fraction afforded a purified ginsenoside $Rg_1$. The physico-chemical, spectroscopic and chromatographic data of ginsenoside $Rg_1$, such as crystallization characteristics, melting point, specific rotation, infrared spectrometry (IR) data, fast atom bombardment/mass spectrometry (FAB/MS) data, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data, retention factor (Rf) in thin layer chromatography (TLC) experiment, and retention time (r.t.) in HPLC analysis, were measured and compared with those reported in literatures. Especially, the previous literatures reported different data for ginsenoside $Rg_1$ in the $^{1}H-$ and $^{13}C$-NMR experiments. This paper gives the exactly assigned NMR data through 2D-NMR experiments, such as $^{1}H-^{1}H$ correlation spectroscopy (COSY), hetero nuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC), and hetero nuclear multiple bond connectivity (HMBC).

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.661-665
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• 1995

Ginsenoside-Rg$_{1}$(G-Rg$_{1}$) has been shown to stimulate DNA synthetic activity in SK-HEP-1 cells. This study was therefore designed to determine in SK-HEP-1 cells whether the stimulatory effect of G-Rg$_{1}$ may be mediated by protein kinase C (PKC) which is known to play a key role in the signal transduction pathway leading to the cell proliferation. Using the tn situ PKC assay method, the PKC enzyme activity was determined in SK-HEP-1 cell cultures in response to G-Rg$_{1}$ at 3*10$^{-5}$ M or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate(PMA) at 10$^{-6}$ M which in the enzyme activity by 1.5- and 7-fold, respectively. Furthermore, G-Rg$_{1}$, was also able to synergistically increase the enzyme activity by 11-fold m the cell cultures in the presence of PMA. These stimulatory effects of G-Rg$_{1}$ or PMA on the DNA synthetic activity and the PKC activity were ablished by a specific PKC inhibitor, GF109203X. These results suggest that the stimulatory effect of G-Rg$_{1}$ on the DNA synthetic activity may be partly due to stimulation of PKC-mediated signal transduction pathway leading to the proliferation of SK-HEP-1 cells.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.448-457
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• 2023

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common form of dementia, and impaired mitophagy is a hallmark of AD. Mitophagy is mitochondrial-specific autophagy. Ginsenosides from Ginseng involve in autophagy in cancer. Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1 hereafter), a single compound of Ginseng, has neuroprotective effects on AD. However, few studies have reported whether Rg1 can ameliorate AD pathology by regulating mitophagy. Methods: Human SH-SY5Y cell and a 5XFAD mouse model were used to investigate the effects of Rg1. Rg1 (1µM) was added to β-amyloid oligomer (AβO)-induced or APPswe-overexpressed cell models for 24 hours. 5XFAD mouse models were intraperitoneally injected with Rg1 (10 mg/kg/d) for 30 days. Expression levels of mitophagy-related markers were analyzed by western blot and immunofluorescent staining. Cognitive function was assessed by Morris water maze. Mitophagic events were observed using transmission electron microscopy, western blot, and immunofluorescent staining from mouse hippocampus. The activation of the PINK1/Parkin pathway was examined using an immunoprecipitation assay. Results: Rg1 could restore mitophagy and ameliorate memory deficits in the AD cellular and/or mouse model through the PINK1-Parkin pathway. Moreover, Rg1 might induce microglial phagocytosis to reduce β-amyloid (Aβ) deposits in the hippocampus of AD mice. Conclusion: Our studies demonstrate the neuroprotective mechanism of ginsenoside Rg1 in AD models. Rg1 induces PINK-Parkin mediated mitophagy and ameliorates memory deficits in 5XFAD mouse models.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 2018

Background: Ginsenosides have been reported to have many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory effects, and the resolution of inflammation is now considered to be an active process driven by M2-type macrophages. In order to determine whether ginsenosides modulate macrophage phenotypes to reduce inflammation, 11 ginsenosides were studied with respect to macrophage polarization and the resolution of inflammation. Methods: Mouse peritoneal macrophages were polarized into M1 or M2 phenotypes. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and measurement of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin $E_2$ levels were performed in vitro and in a zymosan-induced peritonitis C57BL/6 mouse model. Results: Ginsenoside $Rg_3$ was identified as a proresolving ginseng compound based on the induction of M2 macrophage polarization. Ginsenoside $Rg_3$ not only induced the expression of arginase-1 (a representative M2 marker gene), but also suppressed M1 marker genes, such as inducible NO synthase, and NO levels. The proresolving activity of ginsenoside $Rg_3$ was also observed in vivo in a zymosan-induced peritonitis model. Ginsenoside $Rg_3$ accelerated the resolution process when administered at peak inflammatory response into the peritoneal cavity. Conclusion: These results suggest that ginsenoside $Rg_3$ induces the M2 polarization of macrophages and accelerates the resolution of inflammation. This finding opens a new avenue in ginseng pharmacology.