• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.528-534
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• 2005

Hairy root cultures have demonstrated great promise in terms of their biosynthetic capability toward the production of secondary metabolites, but continue to constitute a major challenge with regard to large-scale cultures. In order to assess the possibility of conducting mass production of biomass, and the extraction of useful metabolites from Panax ginseng. P. ginseng hairy roots, transformed by Rhizobium rhizogenes KCTC 2744, were used in bioreactors of different types and sizes. The most effective mass production of hairy roots was achieved in several differently Sized air bubble bioreactors compared to all other bioreactor types. Hairy root growth was enhanced by aeration, and the production increased with increasing aeration rate in a 1 L bioreactor culture. It was determined that the hairy root growth rate could be substantially enhanced by increases in the aeration rate upto 0.5vvm, but at aeration rates above 0.5vvm, only slight promotions in growth rates were observed. In 20 L air bubble bioreactors, with a variety of inoculum sizes, the hairy roots exhibited the most robust growth rates with an inoculum size of 0.1% (w/v), within the range 0.1 to 0.7% (w/v). The specific growth rates of the hairy root decreased with increases in the inoculum size.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.264-269
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• 2008

Ginsenosides are major components in Panax ginseng and known to have numerous pharmacological activities such as anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, anti-viral and anti-atherosclerosis effects. In this study, the regulatory activities of G-Rg3 and its derivative 25-hydroxy Rg3 (G-Rg3-2H) on the production of nitric oxide (NO) in macrophages and the proliferation of lymphocytes prepared from spleen and bone marrow under treatment of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or concanavalin (Con) A were examined. G-Rg3 and G-Rg3-2H dose-dependently inhibited NO production from LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells and in agreement, these compounds protected RAW264.7 cells from LPS-mediated cytotoxicity. In contrast, G-Rg3-2H dose-dependently inhibited lymphocyte proliferation induced by both LPS and Con A, while there was no inhibition by G-Rg3. Therefore, our data suggest that these compounds may be applied for NO-mediated or lymphocyte-mediated immunological diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 1972

Ginseng, the Korean medicinal radix, has been widely used in the Chinese medicine as well as in the folk remedies for many centuries. It is claimed from experience that ginseng exerts multiple therapeutic effects in a large variety of disorders. Despite of its popularity, the chemical analysis and pharmacological study of ginseng are not firmly established. Although there are some scattered reports of ginseng effects on blood pressure, there are few reports on hypertension especially. Recently, Lee & Cho (1971) reported that the administration of ginseng significantly supresses the production of renal hypertension. This study was undertaken to reevaluate the effect of ginseng on renal hypertension and to determine whether ginseng also supresses on neurogenic hypertension, and to clarify the mechanism of this antihypertensive effect. Male rats, weighing around 180 gm on an average were used. Renal hypertension was induced by Grollman's method under general anesthesia with 35mg/kg of pentobarbital sodium. Ginseng effect on blood pressure was observed on normal, renal hypertensive and neurogenic hypertensive rats respectively. Ginseng alcohol extract (40mg/kg) was administered daily subcutaneously from 3 days prior to producing hypertension. And in renal hypertensive rats, the effects of histamine and Avil on blood pressure were also observed. Histamine (0.05mg/kg) and Avil (0.025mg/kg) were also administered daily I.M. from 3 days prior to kidney-8-ligature. The results of the experiments are as follows: 1) No significant difference was observed in blood pressure between the normotensive control and ginseng-treated normotensive rats. 2) In renal hypertensive control, the mean blood pressure already was significantly elevated on 15th day and gradually elevated. The administration of ginseng significantly supresses the production of renal hypertension from 30th day as compared with control rats. 3) The mean blood pressure in neurogenic hypertensive control was average 143.1 mmHg on 7th day. On the other hand, in ginseng treated-neurogenic hypertensive rats, the mean blood pressure was average 125.5mmHg. The administration of ginseng significantly supresses the production of neurogenic hypertension as compared with control rats. 4) In renal hypertensive rats, the administration of histamine and Avil did not differ with control rats. 5) In ginseng-treated renal hypertensive rats, cholesterol contents of plasma, adrenal, kidney and spleen were slightly decreased.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.326-336
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• 1997

In order to investigate the effect of aqua-acupuncture solution with Panax Ginseng into $Qihai(CV_6)$ and $Shenshu(BL_{23})$ on immune response induced by glucocorticoid in mouse, Panax Ginseng aqua-acupuncture solution was injected into $Qihai(CV_6)$ and $Shenshu(BL_{23})$ for seven days after injection with glucocorticoid. And then MA-HRP (methamphetamine-horseradish peroxidase) induced antibody production, numbers and lysozyme activity in macrophage were measured. The results were as follows: 1. The antibody production in mouse immunized with MA-HRP was decreased in control group as compared with normal group. Although $Qihai(CV_6)$ group showed slight increasement, $Shenshu(BL_{23})$ group indicated great increasement compared with normal group. However in Aa-BL group, antibody production was almost increased to normal group. 2. In control group, the numbers of macrophage were decreased about 14% as compared with normal group. And in the pretreated groups of $Qihai(CV_6)$ and $Shenshu(BL_{23})$ were respectively increased 3.0 times and 2.9 times as compared with normal group. 3. Effect of Panax Ginseng-aqua acupuncture solution on the lysozyme activity in macrophage was increased gradually in the pretreated groups of $Qihai(CV_6)$ and $Shenshu(BL_{23})$ as compared with control group. These results suggest that Panax Ginseng aqua-acupuncture at $Qihai(CV_6)$ and $Shenshu(BL_{23})$ may increase antibody production and lysozyme activity in macrophage that is suppressed by glucocorticoid, and Panax Ginseng aqua-acupuncture will have immuno adjuvant effects on the cells which concerned with immunomechanisms.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.63-67
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• 1988

To investigate the effect of ginseng saponin fractions (total saponin, diol saponin and triol saponin) on the antibody production and on the recovery of immunosuppression in mouse, chick ${\gamma}$-globulin was used as immunogen and CY(cyclophosphamide) as immunosuppressive drug. The effect of ginseng saponin fractions on the production of total serum protein was investigated also. Circulating antibody was measured with ELISA method. Total saponin, dial saponin and triol saponin resulted 4 times higher titer values compared to control group in the production of antibody but resulted no effect on the recovery of immunosuppression induced by CY. From the above results ginseng saponin fractions are believed to effect on intact immune system and to promote antibody production by helping the cooperations among lymphocytes or the growth of lymphocytes. And the increase of total serum protein has no direct relations with the increase of circulatory antibody.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.589-594
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• 2012

Paclitaxel is produced by various species of yew trees and has been extensively used to treat tumors. In our research, a taxadiene synthase (TS) gene from Taxus brevifolia was used to transform the roots of cultured ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) to produce taxadiene, the unique skeletal precursor to taxol. The TS gene was successfully introduced into the ginseng genome, and the de novo formation of taxadiene was identified by mass spectroscopy profiling. Without any change in phenotypes or growth difference in a TS-transgenic ginseng line, the transgenic TSS3-2 line accumulated $9.1{\mu}g$ taxadiene per gram of dry weight. In response to the treatment of methyl jasmonate for 3 or 6 days, the accumulation was 14.6 and $15.9{\mu}g$ per g of dry weight, respectively. This is the first report of the production of taxadiene by engineering ginseng roots with a taxadiene synthase gene.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.352-359
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• 2009

Panax ginseng roots produce triterpene saponins called ginsenosides, which are high value secondary metabolites and has been used as drugs, detergents, sweeteners, and cosmetics. In the recent years plant cell, tissue and organ cultures have developed as important alternative sources for the saponin production in Panax ginseng. Adventitious roots and hairy roots have been successfully induced and cultured for the improvement of saponin contents. Genetic and metabolic engineering to regulate saponin biosynthesis in P. ginseng might be important way to improve the medicinal values of P. ginseng. Here we introduced the protocol of genetic transformation and recent progress of functional characterization of genes involved in saponin biosynthesis in P. ginseng.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.68-73
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• 2000

To elucidate the effect of chitin and chitosan on the production of ginsenosides and growth, ginseng hairy root was cultured on the 1/2 MS medium supplemented with chitin and chitosan of various concentrations and culture period. The highest growth was obtained with 1 mg/L of chitin. However, the growth was inhibited by 20 mg/L or above. The contents and productivity of ginsenosides were the highest when ginseng hairy roots were cultured on 40 mg/L chitin and applied of the third-weeks of culture period. Ginseng hairy root culture with 1 mg/L of chitosan resulted in the best growth, but the highest ginsenosides level was appeared in 30 mg/L chitosan. Ginsenosides content was increased when it was treated at the forth-week after culture as 30 mg/L of chitosan.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.58-63
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• 2000

To develop the production of ginseng root using plant tissue culture technology, submerged culture conditions were optimized by means of the fractional factorial design with 4 factors and 3 levels by a RSM computer program. The ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) roots induced by plant growth regulators were cultured on SH medium and the effects of various pH of medium, sucrose concentration, nitrogen concentration and phosphate concentration on fresh weight of the ginseng root were investigated. The fresh weight of ginseng root increased with a decrease in nitrogen concentration and fresh weight of ginseng root varied from 1.00 to 2.33g under various conditions. The optimum pH of medium and sucrose concentration determined by a partial differentiation of the model equation, nitrogen and phosphate concentration were pH 5.6, sucrose 3.8%, nitrogen 50 mg/L and phosphate 80.7 mg/L, respectively. Under these conditions, the predicted growth of ginseng root was estimated to be 2.36g.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.198-204
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• 2012

An light-emitting diode (LED)-based light source was used as a monochromatic light source to determine the responses of raw ginseng roots (Panax ginseng Meyer) to specific emission spectra with respect to the production of ginsenosides. The ginsenoside content in the ginseng roots changed in response to the LED light treatments at $25^{\circ}C$ relative to the levels in the control roots that were treated in the dark or at $4^{\circ}C$ for 7 d. Ginseng roots were exposed to LEDs with four different peak emission wavelengths, 380, 450, 470, and 660 nm, in closed compartments. Compared with the control $4^{\circ}C$-treated roots, roots that were treated with 450 and 470 nm light showed a significantly increased production of ginsenosides (p<0.05), with increases of 64.9% and 74.1%, respectively. The contents of the ginsenosides $Rb_2$, Rc, and $Rg_1$ were significantly higher (p<0.05) in the 450 and 470 nm-treated root samples. The ratio of protopanaxadiol ginsenosides ($Rb_1$, $Rb_2$, Rc, and Rd) to protopanaxatriol ginsenosides ($Rb_1$, $Rb_2$, Re, and Rf) was significantly higher (p<0.05) in the 450 and 470 nm-treated root samples than in the control $4^{\circ}C$-treated roots. This is the first report that demonstrates the increase and conversion of ginsenosides in raw ginseng roots in response to exposure to LED light.