• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.270-274
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• 2008

A bacterium isolated from contaminated white ginseng was identified using API kit and electron microscope. This isolate was determined as rod shaped bacterium having about 1.0 ${\mu}m$ in diameter and 2.0 to 6.0 ${\mu}m$ in length. It had motility by peritrichous flagellum. The isolate had ${\beta}-galactosidase$, arginine dihydrolase and ornithin decarboxylase. It did not have ability not only to use citrate as sole carbon source and but also to produce $H_2S$. However, it could ferment glucose, manitol, sorbitol, rhamnose, arabinose and amygdalin. From these obserbations, the isolate was identified as Citrobacter sp. Ginseng saponin was added to culture of Citrobacter sp. in order to investigate saponin's influence on its growth. The strain was incubated at $38^{\circ}C$ for 3 days after addition of 0.05, 0.5, 2.0 and 4.0% (w/v) of saponin, respectively and the growth rates was investigated. The relative bacterial growth inhibition rates showed 28.6, 66.7, 92.4 and 97.7%, respectively, when compared with saponin non-treated group. These results suggest that the growth of Citrobacter sp. is inhibited by saponin in a concentration-dependent manner.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2009

This study was performed to investigate the cell growth inhibitory effect of tissue cultured root of wild Panax ginseng C.A. Mayer (tcwPG). The human stomach carcinoma cell line, MKN 74, was incubated with 70% EtOH extract of tcwPG or Panax ginseng C.A. Mayer (PG) for 24 hrs. tcwPG inhibited cell growth at a concentration of $250{\mu}g/ml$. However, Panax ginseng extract did not inhibit cell growth at the same concentration. We also tested the ethyl acetate and $H_2O$ fractions of tcwPG. The inhibitory effect of the ethyl acetate fraction on cell proliferation in MKN 74 cells was more potent than that of the crude extract, and the inhibitory effect of the $H_2O$ fraction was less than that of the ethyl acetate fraction. When we separated tcwPG into polar and non-polar saponin fractions and then measured cell growth inhibition, the non-polar saponin in tcwPG exhibited cytotoxicity. To compare the effects of tcwPG on various cancer cell lines, we measured cytotoxicity in MKN 74 (stomach cancer cell line), SW 620 (colon cancer cell line) and PC 3 (prostate cancer cell line). All three cell lines showed cell growth inhibition, and the cell growth inhibitory effects were not quite different in the various cell lines. The non-polar saponins of tcwPG arrested PC 3 cells at G1-phase as did Panax ginseng.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.26-30
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• 2002

A bacterium isolated from contaminated white ginseng was indentified by using API kit and electron microscope. The isolate was determined as rod shaped bacterium having 0.6-1.0 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in diameter and 1.2-3.0 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ in length. It had motility by flagellum. The isolate had $\beta$-galactosidase, arginine dihydrolase and omithin decarboxylase. It used citrate as sole carbon source but not produced H$_2$S. It also fermented glucose, manitol, sorbitol, rhamnose, sucrose, melibiose, arabinose and amygdalin. The isolate was identified as Enterobacter sp by the above API kit analysis and electron microscopy observation. Ginseng saponin was added to culture of Enterobacter sp. in order to investigate saponin's influence on its growth. The strain was incubated at 38$^{\circ}C$ for 3 days after addition of 0.05, 0.5, 2.0 and 4.0% (w/v) of saponin, respectively and the growth rates were investigated. The relative bacterial growth rates showed 75.0, 37.5, 7.5 and 0.5%, respectively, when compared with 100% of saponin non-added group. These results suggest that the growth of Enterobacter sp. is inhibited by saponin with the concentration dependency.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2024

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) has memory impairment associated with aggregation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Although anti-amyloid β (Aβ) protein antibody and chemical drugs can be prescribed in the clinic, they show adverse effects or low effectiveness. Therefore, the development of a new drug is necessarily needed. We focused on the cognitive function of Panax ginseng and tried to find active ingredient(s). We isolated panaxcerol D, a kind of glycosyl glyceride, from the non-saponin fraction of P. ginseng extract. Methods: We explored effects of acute or sub-chronic administration of panaxcerol D on cognitive function in scopolamine- or Aβ_25-35 peptide-treated mice measured by several behavioral tests. After behavioral tests, we tried to unveil the underlying mechanism of panaxcerol D on its cognitive function by Western blotting. Results: We found that pananxcerol D reversed short-term, long-term and object recognition memory impairments. The decreased extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) or Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in scopolamine-treated mice was normalized by acute administration of panaxcerol D. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), caspase 3, NF-kB p65, synaptophysin and brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression levels in Aβ_25-35 peptide-treated mice were modulated by sub-chronic administration of panaxcerol D. Conclusion: Pananxcerol D could improve memory impairments caused by cholinergic blockade or Aβ accumulation through increased phosphorylation level of ERK or its anti-inflammatory effect. Thus, panaxcerol D as one of non-saponin compounds could be used as an active ingredient of P. ginseng for improving cognitive function.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.302-310
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• 2023

Background: The most common type of dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), is marked by the formation of extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques. The impairments of axons and synapses appear in the process of Aβ plaques formation, and this damage could cause neurodegeneration. We previously reported that non-saponin fraction with rich polysaccharide (NFP) from Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) showed neuroprotective effects in AD. However, precise molecular mechanism of the therapeutic effects of NFP from KRG in AD still remains elusive. Methods: To investigate the therapeutic mechanisms of NFP from KRG on AD, we conducted proteomic analysis for frontal cortex from vehicle-treated wild-type, vehicle-treated 5XFAD mice, and NFP-treated 5XFAD mice by using nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS. Metabolic network analysis was additionally performed as the effects of NFP appeared to be associated with metabolism according to the proteome analysis. Results: Starting from 5,470 proteins, 2,636 proteins were selected for hierarchical clustering analysis, and finally 111 proteins were further selected for protein-protein interaction network analysis. A series of these analyses revealed that proteins associated with synapse and mitochondria might be linked to the therapeutic mechanism of NFP. Subsequent metabolic network analysis via genome-scale metabolic models that represent the three mouse groups showed that there were significant changes in metabolic fluxes of mitochondrial carnitine shuttle pathway and mitochondrial beta-oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Conclusion: Our results suggested that the therapeutic effects of NFP on AD were associated with synaptic- and mitochondrial-related pathways, and they provided targets for further rigorous studies on precise understanding of the molecular mechanism of NFP.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.222-229
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• 2019

Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) was processed by drying, steaming, or puffing, and the effects of these processes on the ginsenoside profile were investigated. The main root of 4-year-old raw Korean ginseng was dried to produce white ginseng. Steaming, followed by drying, was employed to produce red or black ginseng. In addition, these three varieties of processed ginseng were puffed using a rotational puffing gun. Puffed ginseng showed significantly higher extraction yields of ginsenosides (49.87-58.60 g solid extract/100 g of sample) and crude saponin content (59.40-63.87 mg saponin/g of dried ginseng) than non-puffed ginseng, respectively. Moreover, puffing effectively transformed the major ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, and Rg1) of ginseng into minor ones (F2, Rg3, Rk1, and Rg5), comparable to the steaming process effect on the levels of the transformed ginsenosides. However, steaming takes much longer (4 to 36 days) than puffing (less than 30 min) for ginsenoside transformation. Consequently, puffing may be an effective and economical technique for enhancing the extraction yield and levels of minor ginsenosides responsible for the major biological activities of ginseng.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.40-46
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• 1998

We investigated the influence of the root of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer on the secretion of catecholamines from bovine adrenal chromaffin cells, which are used as a model of nervous systems. In two major parts extracted from the ginseng root, the crude saponin fraction, but not the non-saponin fraction, reduced the secretion from the cells, stimulated by acetylcholine (ACh). Ginseng saponins (ginsenosides) are classified into three groups, the panaxadiol, the panaxatriol and the oleanolic acid groups, on the basis of the chemical structures of their saponins. Both the panaxadiol and the panaxatriol saponins, excluding only one oleanolic acid saponin ginsenoside-Ro, generally reduced the ACh-evoked secretion. The inhibitory effects of the panaxatriol were much stronger than those of the panaxadiol. However, ginsenoside-Rg, and -Rh3 in the panaxadiol saponins were the potent inhibitors comparable to the panaxatriol saponins. Ginsenoside-Rg2 in the panaxatriol was the most effective. It is probable that the ginsenoside inhibition of the catecholamine secretion is due to the suppression of the function of the nicotinic ACh receptor-cation channels. On the other hand, ginsenoside-Rg2 did not affect the angiotensin II-, the bradykinin-, the histamine- and the neurotensin- induced catecholamine secretions from the chromaffin cells and the muscarine- and the histamine- induced contraction of the ileum in guinea-pigs. Ginsenoside-Rbl, a panaxadiol saponin, and ginsenoside-Ro had no or only a slight effect on them. On the contrary, ginsenoside-Rg3 not only competitively inhibited the muscarine-induced ileum contraction but also reduced the angiotensin R -, the bradykinin-, the histamine- and the neurotensin-induced catecholamine secretions. Thus, the ginseng root contains active ingredients, namely some ginsensides, which suppress the responses induced by receptor stimulation. The inhibitory effects of ginseng saponins may be one of the action mechanisms for the pharmacological effects of the Panax ginseng root.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.128-131
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• 2006

Saponin isolated from red ginseng was added to cultures of Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans in order to investigate saponin's influence on the growth of some pathogenic bacteria and yeasts. S. aureus and C. albicans were incubated at $38^{\circ}C\;and\;28^{\circ}C$ for 5 days with 100 rpm after addition of 0.013, 0.125, 0.500 and 1.000% (w/v, final concentration) of saponin, respectively. After incubated for 1 day, 2 days or 5 days, pH and viable cell counts of the cultures were investigated. The both of pH of S. aureus and C. albicans were decreased in concentration-dependent manner. Viable cell counts after incubation of 5 days were $1.0\;{\times}\;10^8,\;9.4\;{\times}\;10^7,\;1.0\;{\times}\;10^3$ and 0 CFU/ml, respectively, when compared with $1.8{\times}10^8\;CFU/ml$ of saponin non-treated group. Especially, 1.0% concentration of saponin inhibited completely the growth of S. aureus. While, viable cell count in C. albicans somewhat lower values than that of saponin non-treated group, but the values not significant. These results suggest that ginseng saponin inhibit the growth of S. aureus in a concentration-dependent manner, but not the growth of C. albicans.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.89-98
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• 2009

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of processed sulfur with red ginseng on streptozotocin(STZ) induced diabetic rats for expansion of processed sulfur internal application. Methods : We prepared red ginseng with non processed sulfur extracts(GS), red ginseng with processed sulfur I extracts(GPS I) and red ginseng with processed sulfur II extracts(GPS II). In the present study, we examined about contents of crdue saponin, antioxidant activity, $\alpha$-glucosidase inhibitory activity, and effects of STZ induced diabetic rats. Results : Contents of crude saponin increased by processed sulfur, and GPS II was shown highest contents in crude saponin and sulfur compared with another groups. Electron donating ability of GPS II was shown highest activity compared with GS and GPS I, SOD-like activity showed same tendency as electron donating ability at 1 $mg/m\ell$ concentration. Inhibitory activity of $\alpha$-glucosidase was approximately same level in acarbose and GPS II. Blood glucose level of GPS II group was decreased 18.34% compared with DC(diabetes control) group and maintained stability range in glucose level. but GS and GPS I showed high level compared to GPS II. Serum triglycerides concentration also showed lowest level in GPS II. The activity of ALT, AST and ALP was shown high level in diabetic induced groups, and lowest level in GPS II. Creatinine was shown non-significantly difference in each groups and GPS II was shown lowest level in BUN. Conclusions : These results suggested that processed sulfur with red ginseng have improvement effects on diabetes and internal application of processed sulfur with red ginseng have no specific toxicity in liver and kidney.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.23 no.1 s.53
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• pp.13-20
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• 1999

We previously reported that Korean red ginseng (KRG) has a relaxation effect on the smooth muscles of corpus cavernosum via nitric oxide (NO) pathway and calcium and potassium channels. However, it is suggested that the active ingredients of KRG might be different depending on the sources of preparation, and there might be differences in actions for different compositions. We first investigated the composition of KRG saponins according to the extractions of the various sources of KRG, then with these extractions the relaxation effects were evaluated in vitro and hemodynamical in vivo using New Zealand white rabbit and rat corpus cavernosum. The total compositions of ginsenoside $(G-Rb_1,\;-Rb_2,\;-Rc,\;-Rd,\;G-Re,\;-Rf,\;-Rg_1)$ in fractionated KRG saponin designated as TS-1, TS-2, TS-3 were $41\%,\;40\%,\;and\;62\%,$ respectively, and the ratios of PD saponin and PT saponin (PD/PT) were 1,55, 1.72, 2.25, and 2.61, the values of which were statistically significant. In vitro studies using the rabbit corpus cavernosal muscle strips, the KRG saponin relaxed cavernosal strips in a dose-dependent manner, and same results were observed in in vivo studies, that KRG saponin increased the intracavernosal pressure in the rat. There was difference in the efficacy according to fractionation techniques. The differences in the total contents of ginsenosides did not affect relaxation, rather PT saponin content was statistically related to the degree of cavernosal relaxation, and this action presumed to be mediated by NO pathway and calcium and potassium channels. In conclusion, KRG exerts relaxation which is a key step in erection via combination of effects on NO system or calcium and potassium channels. The efficacy of this action is different to the sources of ginseng, which is affected by the different composition of ginsenosides $(G-Rb_1,\;-Rb_2,\;-Rc,\;-Rd,\;G-Re,\;-Rf,\;-Rg_1).$ Thus the further studies on the active ingredients such as minor ginsenosides and non-saponin components of red ginseng with maximum potency should be sought.