• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.108-114
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• 1983

1. To know the site of saponin synthesis in this plant, 4-years old Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer was administered with 1, 2-l4C-acetate (Na salt, 10 ucilplant) by stem injection and was continued to grow for 3 weeks and the distribution of the radioactivity in leaf, stem and root part was identified. The percentage of radioactivity recovered was about 3.99%. 2. The sliced roots or leaf discs (2g) were bathed in the reaction mixture containing sugar, ATP, NADPH, and the distribution of the radioactivity of the fractions (sugar, saponin, sapogenin) was identified. 3. It seemed that major synthesized saponins in roots and leaves are dial and triol-type, respectively. Although both types of saponins are synthesized in roots, the main saponins seemed to be dial saponins and a significant portion of triol saponins are supplied from leaves through stem.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.160-166
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• 1994

The possible mechanisms of ginseng saponins on the inhibition of the development of morphine tolerance and physical dependence were investigated in the aspects of morphine metabolism by morphine 6-dehydrogenase. The administration of morphine causes a reduction of non-protein sulfhydryl contents in the liver, because morphinone metabolized from morphine by morphine 6-dehydrogenase conjugates with sulfhydryl compounds. However, ginseng saponins inhibited the activity of morphine 6-dehydrogenase which catalyzed the production of morphinone from morphine. In addition, ginseng saponins inhibited the reduction of non-protein sulfhydryl levels by increasing the level of hepatic glutathione. These results suggest that the dual action of the above plays an important role in the inhibition of the development of morphine tolerance and physical dependence. On the other hand, it was observed that less polar components of ginseng saponins with parent structures were more active components in vitro.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1974.09a
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• pp.77-93
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• 1974

The sapogenins of two-and four-year-old A-merican ginseng plants (Panax quinquefolium L.) (Araliaceae) collected in July and September were studied. American ginseng saponins (panaquilins) differ from Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) saponins (ginsenosides). The American ginseng saponins separated and named were panaquilins A, B, C, D, E-l, E-2, E-3, G-l, G-2, (c) and (d). One-dimensional thin-layer chromatography did not completely separate panaquilin mixture and were subject to misinterpretation. The panaquilins were more accurately separated and identified by the two-dimensional thin-layer method established. Some differences in American ginseng saponins were dependent upon the plant age, time of collection, and part extracted. The American ginseng sapogenin components are panxadiol (panaquilins B and C), oleanolic acid (panaquilin D) and panaxatriol (panaquilin G-l). The panaquilins E-l, E-2 and E-3 mixture contains both panaxadiol and panaxatriol. The genins of panaquilins A, (c), (d) and G-2 were not identified. In addition, ${\beta}-sitosterol$ and stigmasterol were identified from the root ether extracts.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.31-39
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• 1998

We have investigated the antinociceptive efficacy of ginseng saponins in mice using l% formalin, which induce two phases of pain (acute and tonic pains) and is known to induce a clinically related pain. Ginseng total saponins (GTS) relieved both phases of pain with EDso of 162 mghg for acute and 92 mg/kg for tonic pain, respectively. Both protopanaxadiol (PD) and protopanaxatriol (PT) saponins did not attenuated acute phase of pain but relieved tonic phase of pain with EDso of 45 mg/kg for PD saponins and 105 mghg for PT saponins, respectively. Moreover, ginsenoside Rc, Rd, and Re among representative ginsenosides such as Rbl, Rc, Rd, Re and Rgl relieved slightly but significantly acute phase of pain and strongly attenuated tonic phase of pain but Rf relieved only tonic phase of pain. However, PD and PT saponins, and the individual ginsenosides tested except GTS did not greatly attenuate thermal noxious pain (tail-flick test). These results suggest that single ginsenoside or mixture of various ginsenosides mainly induce differential antinociception in mice.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.101-107
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• 1995

The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of ginseng saponins [ginseng total saponin (GTS), protopanaxadiol saponin (PD) and protopanaxatriol saponin (PT)] on the hyperactivity, reverse tolerance and dopamine receptor super-sensitivity induced by cocaine. A single treatment with cocaine produced hyperactivity. Repeated administration of cocaine developed reverse tolerance and dopamine receptor super-sensitivity was also developed in reverse tolerant mice which had received the same cocaine. The hyperactivity and the developments of reverse tolerance and dopamine receptor super-sensitivity by cocaine were inhibited by ginseng saponins. From these results, it is proposed that ginseng saponins may be useful for the prevention and therapy of the adverse actions of cocaine. In addition, the rank order of inhibitory potential was observed as PT>GTS>PD. Key words Cocaine, hyperactivity, reverse tolerance, dopamine receptor super-sensitivity, ginseng saponins.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.310-315
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• 1998

The effect of red ginseng saponins (total saponins, Rbl- and Rgl- fraction of saponins) on the induction of $\beta$-galactosidase in yeast, hccharomyces cereuisiae, was investigated to see that ginseng saponins would penetrate the cell membrane and have a function in a nucleus as steroid hormones do. To attain such a kind of purpose, a DNA fragment (685bp) containing GALI promoter was inserted into the sites of EcoRl and BamHl of polylinker region, upstream of lace gene of the plasmid YEp356 (7.966 Kb), and thus the resulting plasmid pGALl-lacZ is supposed to express $\beta$- galactosidase only in the presence of galactose. The plasmid pGALl -lacZ was introduced into yeast, Ky106 (a leu2 ura3 his3 trp 1 Iys2), and the growth of the transformed cells was much slower in the presence of galactose than glucose. The effects of saponins on the specific activity of P-galactosidase from transformed yeast cells were detected. No significant increase was observed in case of total saponins, but the Rbl- or Rgl- fraction of saponins gave much higher increase in the activity. Maximum increase was observed as 35% in 10-3% of Rbl and as 75% in 10-1% of Rgl. These data suggest that ginseng saponins might be able to enter the nucleus and stimulate transcription. However, further studies to find out the putative saponin receptor are needed to confirm this possibility. Key words : Red ginseng saponin, $\beta$-galactosidase induction, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 1999

Recent studies have suggested that Panax ginseng saponins may stimulate pancreaticobiliary secretion. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the alterations in pancreaticobiliary function associated with ginseng saponins remain uncertain. We studied the effects of ginseng saponins and devazepide, cholecys-tokinin receptor antagonist, on pancreaticobiliary secretion in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The saponins tested were crude saponin (TS) and panaxatriol saponin (PTS). After single or two weeks administration of saponins, pancreaticobiliary juice of rats was collected for 8hrs. Single administration of TS and PTS did not change the volume of pancreaticobiliary juice compared with control group. In contrast, the pretreatment of devazepide significantly increased the volume of pancreaticobiliary juice. The amylase activity was significantly increased by acute TS treatment, but this increase was inhibited by devazepide pretreatment. In animals with two weeks administration of TS and PTS, the volume of pancreaticobiliary juice was not increased as compared to the control group. However, the volume of pancreaticobiliary juice was significantly increased by devazepide treatment. The amylase activity was significantly increased by two weeks administration TS and PTS respectively. This increase was inhibited by devazepide treatment. Our findings suggest that ginseng saponins, especially panaxatriol, increase the amylase activity in pancreaticobiliary juice, and this is, in part, caused by release of endogenous cholecystokinin.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.181-188
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• 1978

To study on the changes in saponins from callus mass by tissue culture, the callus was derived from the petiole of Korean Ginseng (Panax Ginseng C.A. Meyer) and cultivated on Murashige and Skoog's agar medium supplemented with 2.4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and kinetin for 8 months. Then, well-grown callus was analyzed for its components estimation. The results obtained are as follows: (1) When saponins isolated from callus mass were chromatographed on a silca gel plate, and determined by the thinchrograph TFG-10, the ratio of Rb, c to Rg(f) in saponins was 2.16 to 1 and Rb, c, d to Re, g (f) was 1 to 1.63, while in the case of saponins from the root of Panax Ginseng grown by soil culture, the ratio of Rb, c to Rg(f) was 1.03 to 1 and the ratio of Rb, c,d to Re, g(f) was 1 to 1.17. (2) Sapogenins were obtained from the hydrolysates of saponins, and determined by thinchrograph TFG-10. The ratio of panaxadiol to panaxatriol in sapogenins from callus saponins was 2.66 to 1, while the ratio of panaxadiol to panaxatriol in sapogenins from ginseng root saponins was 1.86 to 1. From the results above mentioned, we concluded that the relative contents of sapogenins in saponins from callus mass by tissue culture were different from those in saponins from ginseng root by soil culture.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.135-138
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• 1986

Ginseng total saponins(GS), protopanaxadiol saponins(PD) and protopanaxadiol saponins(PT) antagonized the analgesia in mice induced by morphine. The administrations of 2,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, and 5-hydroxytryptophan reduced the GS, PD and PT antagonisms of morphine analgesia. Possible mechanisms involved in the antagonistic actions of GS, PD and PT on morphine analgesia were described.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.72-76
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• 1980

The present studies were carried out to develope a simple quantitative analysis for saponins in ginseng by hemolysis. Erythrocytes from pig, rabbit, human and cattle were useful for this purpose. Erythrocytes could be stored at $4^{\circ}C$for 9 days without altering the sensitivity to saponins. Ginsenoside-Rb_1 did hemolysis, but Ginsenoside-Re protected erythrocytes from hemolysis. The following formula is proposed for calculation of saponins from ginseng extract: X=120$\mu$g $\times$$V_2/V_1$