• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.366-375
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• 2023

Background: Ginseng contains three active components: ginsenosides, gintonin, and polysaccharides. After the separation of 1 of the 3 ingredient fractions, other fractions are usually discarded as waste. In this study, we developed a simple and effective method, called the ginpolin protocol, to separate gintonin-enriched fraction (GEF), ginseng polysaccharide fraction (GPF), and crude ginseng saponin fraction (cGSF). Methods: Dried ginseng (1 kg) was extracted using 70% ethanol (EtOH). The extract was water fractionated to obtain a water-insoluble precipitate (GEF). The upper layer after GEF separation was precipitated with 80% EtOH for GPF preparation, and the remaining upper layer was vacuum dried to obtain cGSF. Results: The yields of GEF, GPF, and cGSF were 14.8, 54.2, and 185.3 g, respectively, from 333 g EtOH extract. We quantified the active ingredients of 3 fractions: L-arginine, galacturonic acid, ginsenosides, glucuronic acid, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), phosphatidic acid (PA), and polyphenols. The order of the LPA, PA, and polyphenol content was GEF > cGSF > GPF. The order of L-arginine and galacturonic acid was GPF >> GEF = cGSF. Interestingly, GEF contained a high amount of ginsenoside Rb1, whereas cGSF contained more ginsenoside Rg1. GEF and cGSF, but not GPF, induced intracellular [Ca²⁺]_i transient with antiplatelet activity. The order of antioxidant activity was GPF > GEF = cGSF. Immunological activities (related to nitric oxide production, phagocytosis, and IL-6 and TNF-α release) were, in order, GPF > GEF = cGSF. The neuroprotective ability (against reactive oxygen species) order was GEF > cGSP > GPF. Conclusion: We developed a novel ginpolin protocol to isolate 3 fractions in batches and determined that each fraction has distinct biological effects.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.105-115
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• 2015

Background: Alcoholic steatosis is the earliest and most common liver disease, and may precede the onset of more severe forms of liver injury. Methods: The effect of Korean Red Ginseng extract (RGE) was tested in two murine models of ethanol (EtOH)-feeding and EtOH-treated hepatocytes. Results: Blood biochemistry analysis demonstrated that RGE treatment improved liver function. Histopathology and measurement of hepatic triglyceride content verified the ability of RGE to inhibit fat accumulation. Consistent with this, RGE administration downregulated hepatic lipogenic gene induction and restored hepatic lipolytic gene repression by EtOH. The role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver diseases is well established. Treatment with RGE attenuated EtOH-induced cytochrome P450 2E1, 4-hydroxynonenal, and nitrotyrosine levels. Alcohol consumption also decreased phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, which was restored by RGE. Moreover, RGE markedly inhibited fat accumulation in EtOH-treated hepatocytes, which correlated with a decrease in sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 and a commensurate increase in sirtuin 1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-a expression. Interestingly, the ginsenosides Rb2 and Rd, but not Rb1, significantly inhibited fat accumulation in hepatocytes. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that RGE and its ginsenoside components inhibit alcoholic steatosis and liver injury by adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase/sirtuin 1 activation both in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that RGE may have a potential to treat alcoholic liver disease.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2012

This study was conducted to investigate changes in composition of ginsenosides and color of processed ginsengs prepared by different steaming-drying times. Processed ginsengs were prepared from white ginseng with skin by 9-time repeated steaming at $96^{\circ}C$ for 3 hours and followed by hot air-drying at $50^{\circ}C$ for 24 hours. As the times of steaming processes increased, lightness (L value) decreased and redness (a value) increased in color of ginseng powders. Crude saponin contents and ginsenosides compositions in processed ginsengs prepared by different steaming-drying times were investigated using the HPLC method, respecively. Crude saponin contents according to increasing steaming-drying times decreased in some degree. In the case of major ginsenosides, the contents of $Rb_1$, $Rb_2$, Rc, Rd, Rf, Re, $RG_1$, Re were decreased with increase in steamimg times, but those of $Rh_1$, $Rg_3$, $Rk_1$ were increased after especially 3 times of steaming processes. Interestingly, in black ginseng were prepared by 9 times steaming processes, the content of ginsenoside $Rg_3$ was 8.20 mg/g, approximately 18 times higher than that (0.46 mg/g) in red ginseng. In addition, the ratio of the protopanaxadiol group and protopanaxatiol group (PD/PT) were increased from 1.9 to 8.4 due to increasing times of steamming process.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.205-210
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• 1998

Glucosidic bonds at the C20 position of the sapogenins were hydrolyzed easily in the lower pH, higher temperatures and longer times to give prosapogenins and sugars. The glucosidic bond of saponin at the C3 of ginsenoside-Rb1, which is secondary carbon, was relatively stable due to the low electron density of -0.2. But the bond of saponin at the C20 position, which is tertiary carbon with the relatively high electron density of -0.3, was liable to be hydrolyzed even in weakly acidic solution by the increase of heating time. On the other hand, red ginseng contained 13.34 mg/g of citric acid, 8.78 mg/g of malonic acid, 3.70 mg/g of oxalic acid, 2.13 mg/g of malic acid and 0.44 mg/g of succinct acid. Ginseng saponins were very stable in ginseng extract neutralized with sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate corresponding to the equivalent amount of the total organic acid in the red ginseng.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.349-351
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• 2023

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.92-101
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• 2016

In this study, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was established for simultaneous determination of the 25 marker components, including chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, oxypaeoniflorin, homogentisic acid, methyl gallate, caffeic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, paeoniflorin, albiflorin, liquiritin, nodakenin, ferulic acid, ginsenoside Rg1, liquiritigenin, coumarin, cinnamic acid, benzoylpaeoniflorin, ginsenoside Rb1, cinnamaldehyde, paeonol, glycyrrhizin, 6-gingerol, evodiamine, rutecarpine, and spicatoside A in traditional Korean formula, Onkyung-tang. All analytes were separated on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH $C_{18}$ analytical column ($2.1{\times}100mm$, $1.7{\mu}m$) at $45^{\circ}C$ using a mobile phase of 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water and acetonitrile with gradient elution. The MS analysis was carried out using a Waters ACQUITY TQD LC-MS/MS coupled with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source in the positive and negative modes. The flow rate and injection volume were 0.3 mL/min and $2.0{\mu}L$, respectively. The correlation coefficient of all analytes in the test ranges was greater than 0.98. The limits of detection and quantification values of the 25 marker compounds were in the ranges 0.03-19.43 and 0.09-58.29 ng/mL, respectively. As a result, methyl gallate, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, evodiamine, and rutecarpine were not detected in this sample and the concentrations of the 21 compounds except for the above 4 compounds were $33.09-3,496.32{\mu}g/g$ in Onkyung-tang decoction. Among these compounds, paeonol was detected at the highest amount as a $3,496.32{\mu}g/g$.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.65-71
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• 2019

One of the oriental medicine prescriptions, Sagunja-tang consists of four herbal medicines (Ginseng Radix, Poria Sclerotium, Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba, and Glycyrrhiziae Radix et Rhizoma) and has been used as a medicine to enhance tonify the function of spleen and stomach in Korea. In this study, we conducted simultaneous analysis of the 9 marker components, liquiritin apioside, liquiritin, ginsenoside Rg1, liquiritigenin, ginsenoside Rb1, glycyrrhizin, atractylenolide III, atractylenolide II, and atractylenolide I in Sagunja-tang using a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Marker compounds were separated on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH $C_{18}$ analytical column ($2.1{\times}100mm$, 1.7 mm) and the column was maintained at $45^{\circ}C$. The mobile phase consists of 0.1% (v/v) aqueous formic acid and acetonitrile with gradient condition. The LC-MS analysis was performed using a Waters ACQUITY TQD LC-MS/MS system with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method in the positive and negative modes. The calibration curves of the nine marker components showed good linearity with coefficient of determination ${\geq}0.9984$ within tested range. The limits of detection and limits of quantification values were 0.27-2.42 ng/mL and 0.81-7.27 ng/mL, respectively. The concentrations of tested 9 analytes in the lyophilized Sagunja-tang sample using the established LC-ESI-MS/MS MRM method were detected up to 16.593 mg/g. These results can be useful as a basic data for the quality control of an oriental medicine prescriptions.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.305-314
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to develop the high efficiency of ginseng by using microwave low temperature vacuum drying technology. In red ginseng manufacturing processes, the study results compared the hot-air drying red ginseng dried during 24hours in $60-70^{\circ}C$ and redried during 72hours in $40^{\circ}C$ after the steaming ginseng with the red ginseng dried in microwave low temperature vacuum dryer on condition that 900 watt, 2.45 MHz, 50 mmHg during 5 hours and redried during 2 hours on 750 mmHg after the steaming ginseng about observation of tissue, sensory evaluation and a change of ginsenoside and crude saponin content. As a result, the red ginseng in microwave low temperature vacuum was had high brightness, the surface turned into porosity tissue and added more flavor, decreased bitterness highly on the contrary increased sweetness at the same time that elevated the comprehensive preference. Moreover, In a short time, the content of ginsenosides $Rg_1$ and $Rb_1$ increased about sixfold, eightfold in one time zone but there were no wide difference in content of $Rg_3$ as compared to the hot-air drying red ginseng. Finally, content of crude saponin was increased widely at 10-20 minutes and stayed high crude saponin content consistently. Therefore, this result indicated that the red ginseng in microwave low temperature vacuum increased extraction yields of the ginsenosides and crude saponin through a change of porosity tissue and improved flavor and texture compare with the general hot air dried red ginseng in a short time. According to these results, that provided that could increase the preference about red ginseng.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.335-339
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• 1987

This study was carried out to investigate effects of fat-soluble solvents on the purification against nan-saponin substances such as chlorophylls and other pigments and on the yields of saponins in separating saponins from ginseng root, leaf and stem. Ginseng root saponins were effectively purified by various fat-soluble solvents while ginseng leaf stem saponins were by chloroform. And alternative extractions of ethyl acetate, ethyl ether, chloroform and benzene there more effective for ginseng leaf stem saponins than that by any single solvent. Contents of crude saponin fractions and total ginsenosides in ginseng leaf were $18.5{\sim}19.5%\;and\;10.8{\sim}11.4%$, which were very high compared with $4.6{\sim}5.1%\;and\;2.0{\sim}2.6%$ in ginseng root or $2.2{\sim}2.5%\;and\;0.63{\sim}0.67%$ in ginseng stem. Therefore, ginseng leaf is good resources for total saponin or $ginsenosides-Rg_1,\;.Re,\;-Rc,\;-Rd,\;-Rb_2\;and\;-Rf$.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 1997

The effect of total saponin fraction of Ginseng injected intrathecally (i.1.) or in- tracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) on the antinociception induced by D-$Pen^{2,5}$- enkephalin (DPDPE) ad ministered i.c.v. was studied in ICR mice in the present study. The antinociception was assessed by the tail-flick test. Total saponin fraction at doses 0.1 to 1.0 $\mu\textrm{g}$, which administered i.t. Alone did not affect the latencies of tail-flick threshold, attenuated dose-dependently the inhibition of the tail-flick response induced by i.c.v. administered DPDPE (10 $\mu\textrm{g}$). However, total saponin fraction at doses 1 to 20 $\mu\textrm{g}$, which administered i.c.v. Alone did not affect the latencies of the tail-flick response, did not affect i.c.v. administered DPDPE (10 $\mu\textrm{g}$)-induced antinociception. The duration of antagonistic action of total saponin fraction against DPDPE-induced antlnociception was lasted at least for 6 hrs. Various doses of ginsenosides Rd, but not $\Rb_2$, Rc, Rg1, and $\Rb_1$ and Re, injected i.t. Dose-dependently attenuated antinociception induced by DPDPE administered i.c.v. Our results indicate that total saponin fraction injected spinally appears to have antagonistic action against the antinociception induced by supraspinally applied DPDPE. Ginsenoside Rd appears to be responsible for blocking j.c.v. administered DPDPE-induced antinociception. On the other hand, total ginseng fraction, at supraspinal sites, may not have an antagonistic action against the antinociception induced by DPDPE.