• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.55-65
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• 2002

Ginseng has been used as a key constituent in traditional medicine prescriptions for centuries. Other than its well-known anti-stress and adaptogenic properties, ginseng has also been shown to be very effective in treating age-related deterioration in metabolic and memory functions. Although it is generally believed that the saponin (GS) fraction of the ginseng root accounts for the bioactivity of ginseng, a direct demonstration on which ginsenoside does what is still generally lacking. In the past decade, our laboratory has endeavored to identify the active GS components involved in energy metabolism, memory, and anti-neurotoxicity. To examine the ergogenic effects of GS in enhancing aerobic capacity, rats were subjected to either severe cold ($40^{\circ}C$ under helium-oxygen, two hours) or exercise workload $(70\%\;VO_{2}max,$ to exhaustion). Acute systemic injection (i.p.) of ginseng GS (5-20 mg/kg) significantly elevated both the total and maximum heat production in rats and improved their cold tolerance. However, pretreating the animal with the optimal dose (10 mg/kg) of GS devoid of $Rg_1\;and\;Rb_1$ failed to elicit any beneficial effects in improving cold tolerance. This indicates that either $Rb_1\;and/or\;Rg_1$ may be essential in exemplifying the thermogenic effect of GS. Further studies showed that only pretreating the animals with $Rb_1(2.5-5\;mg/kg),\;but\;not\;Rg_l,$ resulted in an increase in thermogenesis and cold tolerance. In contrast to the acute effect of GS on cold tolerance, enhancement of exercise performance in rats was only observed after chronic treatment (4 days). Further, we were able to demonstrate that both $Rb_1\;and\;Rg_1$ are effective in enhancing aerobic endurance by exercise. To illustrate the beneficial effects of GS in learning and memory, a passive avoidance paradigm (shock prod) was used. Our results indicated that the scopolamineinduced amnesia can be significantly reversed by chronically treating (4 days) the rats with either $Rb_1\;or\;Rg_1$ (1.25 - 2.5 mg/kg). To further examine its underlying mechanisms, the effects of various GS on ${\beta}-amyloid-modulated$ acetylcholine (ACh) release from the hippocampal slices were examined. It was found that inclusion of $Rb_1$ (0.1 ${\mu}M$), but not $Rg_1$, can attenuate ${\beta}-amyloid-suppressed$ ACh release from the hippocampal slices. Our results demonstrated that $Rb_1\;and\;Rg_1$ are the key components involved in various beneficial effects of GS but they may elicit their effects through different mechanisms.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.476-484
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• 2018

Background: Korean Red Ginseng (steamed and dried white ginseng, Panax ginseng Meyer) is well known for enhancing vital energy and immune capacity and for inhibiting cancer cell growth. Some clinical studies also demonstrated a therapeutic potential of ginseng extract for treating lung inflammatory disorders. This study was conducted to establish the therapeutic potential of ginseng saponins on the lung inflammatory response. Methods: From Korean Red Ginseng, 11 ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg1, Rg2, Rg3, and Rh2) were isolated. Their inhibitory potential and action mechanism were evaluated using a mouse model of lung inflammation, acute lung injury induced by intranasal lipopolysaccharide administration. Their anti-inflammatory activities were also examined in lung epithelial cell line (A549) and alveolar macrophage (MH-S). Results: All ginsenosides orally administered at 20 mg/kg showed 11.5-51.6% reduction of total cell numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Among the ginsenosides, Rc, Re, Rg1, and Rh2 exhibited significant inhibitory action by reducing total cell numbers in the BALF by 34.1-51.6% (n = 5). Particularly, Re showed strong and comparable inhibitory potency with that of dexamethasone, as judged by the number of infiltrated cells and histological observations. Re treatment clearly inhibited the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$, and the c-Fos component in the lung tissue (n = 3). Conclusion: Certain ginsenosides inhibit lung inflammatory responses by interrupting these signaling molecules and they are potential therapeutics for inflammatory lung diseases.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.951-956
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to prepare black ginseng and evaluate its antitumor activity. In order to achieve such aim, 5 year fresh ginsenges were steamed at 95'E for 3 hr in pottery apparatus and dried at $60^{\circ}C$ for 12-36 hr. This process was repeated again nine times in same condition. Among the ginseng saponins in black ginseng, the amount of Ginsenoside $Rg_3$ was examined by HPLC. 10.05 mE of Ginsenoside $Rg_3$ was obtained from 1 g of dried black ginseng prepared. The extract of black ginseng exhibited stronger cytotoxic activity against MCF-1, HT-1080 and Hepa 1C1C7 tumor cell lines in vitro than the extract of red ginseng. Also, the extract of black ginseng exhibited stronger antitumor activity(33%) in BDFl mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma cells(LLC) than the extract of red ginseng(23%). From these results, it was concluded that Black ginseng had antitumor activity suggesting its application for the prevention and treatment of cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.72-75
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• 2008

Quality properties of red ginseng prepared with different cultivation years of fresh ginseng produced in Punggi region were investigated. Fresh ginseng cultivated for 4, 5, or 6 years was steamed for 3.5 hr and dried for 24 hr at $60{\sim}65^{\circ}C$ and subsequently for $3{\sim}4$ days at $40^{\circ}C$ under commercial conditions. Compared to 6 years-old roots, the five years-old roots showed similar or some lower quality properties in terms of color, appearance, diameter, and inside quality, but higher ones in length and yield of prepared red ginseng. In particular, the levels of ginsenoside $Rg_3$ and $Rh_2$, which are known as specific components in red ginseng, were the highest in 5 years-old roots. The result shows that fresh ginseng of 5 years-old roots produced in Punggi region can be utilized as a raw material for the manufacture of high-quality red ginseng.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.166-172
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• 2001

In order to increase ginsenoside content, to reduce chemical change, to shorten extracting procedure, new methods of extraction and fractionation of crude ginseng saponin were established and compared for their chemical composition. Those are hot MeOH extraction/n-BuOH fractionation (BuOH method) and hot MeOH extraction/Diaion HP-20 adsorption/MeOH elution (HP-20 method), which are already known methods, and additional three new methods: hot MeOH extraction/cation AG 50W $adsorption/H_2O$ elution/n-BuOH extraction (AG 50W method), cool MeOH extraction/Diaion HP-20 adsorption/MeOH elution (cool extraction method) and direct extraction with EtOAc/n-BuOH (direct extraction method). AG 50W method provided a crude saponin showing the highest content of ginsenosides of 61.5% and the lowest contents of protein and free amino acids of 0.93% and 0.19%, respectively. The protein content was the highest as 14.18% in the crude saponin by HP-20 method, while free sugar content was the highest as 13.5% by BuOH method, indicating that these are factors that lower the rate of ginsenoside in crude saponins by those methods. On the other hand, it was revealed that AG 50W method produced large amount of prosapogenins during the pass through the cation exchange resin (AG 50W) column being strongly acidic. Crude saponin from direct extraction method showed relatively higher composition of ginsenoside $Rg_1$ and Re. The results suggest that contents and composition of ginsenosides and other chemical components in crude ginseng saponin greatly depend on the condition of the extraction and fractionation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.706-713
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• 2023

Background and objective: The ability to inhibit aggregation has been demonstrated with synthetically derived ginsenoside compounds G-Rp (1, 3, and 4) and ginsenosides naturally found in Panax ginseng 20(S)-Rg3, Rg6, F4, and Ro. Among these compounds, Rk3 (G-Rk3) from Panax ginseng needs to be further explored in order to reveal the mechanisms of action during inhibition. Methodology: Our study focused to investigate the action of G-Rk3 on agonist-stimulated human platelet aggregation, inhibition of platelet signaling molecules such as fibrinogen binding with integrin α_IIbβ₃ using flow cytometry, intracellular calcium mobilization, dense granule secretion, and thromboxane B₂ secretion. In addition, we checked the regulation of phosphorylation on PI3K/MAPK pathway, and thrombin-induced clot retraction was also observed in platelets rich plasma. Key Results: G-Rk3 significantly increased amounts of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and led to significant phosphorylation of cAMP-dependent kinase substrates vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP₃R). In the presence of G-Rk3, dense tubular system Ca²⁺ was inhibited, and platelet activity was lowered by inactivating the integrin αIIb/β₃ and reducing the binding of fibrinogen. Furthermore, the effect of G-Rk3 extended to the inhibition of MAPK and PI3K/Akt phosphorylation resulting in the reduced secretion of intracellular granules and reduced production of TXA₂. Lastly, G-Rk3 inhibited platelet aggregation and thrombus formation via fibrin clot. Conclusions and implications: These results suggest that when dealing with cardiovascular diseases brought upon by faulty aggregation among platelets or through the formation of a thrombus, the G-Rk3 compound can play a role as an effective prophylactic or therapeutic agent.

• Integrative Medicine Research
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.223-223
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• 2016

Background: Korean Red Ginseng (Panax ginseng) has been shown to exert antihypertensive effects. In particular, ginsenoside Rg3 is thought to be a potent modulator of vascular function. The present study was performed to examine the antihypertensive efficacy of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) extract and Rg3-enriched KRG (REKRG) extract. Methods: Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) andWistar-Kyoto rats (WKYs) were divided into six groups (WKY control, WKY-KRG, WKY-REKRG, SHR control, SHR-KRG, and SHRREKRG), and systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured at the carotid artery, followed by injection of 3mg/kg KRG or 3mg/kg REKRG. Results: REKRG treatment significantly decreased SBP and DBP 3hours post-treatment in the SHR group compared with SHR control group. However, SBP and DBP were not significantly different in KRG-treated SHRs compared with control SHRs. REKRG treatment did not significantly alter SBP or DBP 3hours post-treatment in the WKY group compared with WKY control group. Similarly, there were no differences in SBP or DBP with KRG treatment in the WKY group and WKY control group. Both KRG and REKRG increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation levels in the aorta, and the increases in endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation levels by REKRG treatment were higher than those with KRG treatment. Similarly, nitric oxide production in plasma from WKYs and SHRs was also increased by both KRG and REKRG. Conclusion: These results suggest that REKRG has a more beneficial effect on blood pressure control than KRG in SHRs.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.418-429
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• 2021

This paper investigates the antioxidant activity and quality characteristics of yanggaeng containing white ginseng and red ginseng extracts and their enzyme hydrolysates that were produced for the purpose of the study. White and red ginseng extracts were hydrolyzed using Rapidase C80 max, Pyr-flo, and Ultimase MFC. Ginsenoside F2 and compound K (CK) were not detected in white and red ginseng before enzymic reaction but were detected in white and red ginseng hydrolyzed through Rapidase C80 max, Pyr-flo, and Ultimase MFC, and the content of CK was the highest in the second enzymic reaction group of red ginseng. Upon preparing yanggaeng containing white and red ginseng before or after enzymatic hydrolysis, the polyphenol content and antioxidant abilities were analyzed. The yanggaeng containing enzyme-hydrolyzed white ginseng and red ginseng showed greater total polyphenol content, superior DPPH radical scavenging activity, superior ABTS radical scavenging activity, and superior FRAP analysis results compared to the yanggaeng that doesn't contain white or red ginseng. As the enzymic reaction was performed in the added white and red ginseng, the antioxidant activity increased significantly (P<0.05). In brightness(L^*), non-additive yanggaeng (control group) was the highest, red ginseng yanggaeng (RG) showed the highest redness(a^*), and the white ginseng yanggaeng (WG) showed the highest yellowness(b^*). In terms of texture, the yanggaeng containing red ginseng with second hydrolysis (RG-T2) showed significantly high results in hardness, springiness, chewiness, cohesiveness, and gumminess (P<0.05). In conclusion, treating white and red ginseng with Rapidase C80 max, Pyr-flo, and Ultimase MFC is very useful in ginsenoside deglycosylation and will produce CK with excellent biological activity. It can also be seen that yanggaeng containing white and red ginseng hydrolyzed with enzymes significantly increase total polyphenol and antioxidant activity compared to the control group (yanggaeng with no added ginseng). These results will be useful as excellent foundational data for the production of functional yanggaeng in the future.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.228-241
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• 1980

The red ginseng extract and its components were investigated for their activation effects on the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae IAM and Saccharomyces formosensis No. 396 IAM. Changes in the number of cells, alcohol production, $CO_2$ evolution, pH and the rate of sugar consumption and of fermentation were compared during growth at $30^{\circ}C$ for 120 hours. The addition of ethanol extract and saponins from red ginseng were found to exihibite a significant increase in all physiological activaties of yeast, and its maximum activites were obtained at 1.5% ethanol extract concentration. The physiological effects of panaxadiol and panaxatriol, two major groups of saponin, were also compared to those of crude saponin and found that the former showed a small increase in physiological changes. However the difference was not significant. The overall contents of ginsenosides of ethanol extract and crude saponin during fermentation were not significantly affected by the growth of roasts, except a small increase in ginsenoside $-Rg_2$ and decrease in -Rd.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.491-501
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• 2002

A cross-examination between KT&G Central Research Institute and Guangzhou Institute for Drug Control was carried out in order to select optimum conditions for extraction, separation and determination of ginsenosides in red ginseng and to propose a better method for the quantitative analysis of ginsenosides. The optimum extraction conditions of ginsenosides from red ginseng were as follows: the extraction solvent, $70\%$ methanol; the extraction temperature, $100^{\circ}C;$ the extraction time, 1 hour for once; and the repetition of extraction, twice. The optimum separation conditions of ginsenosides on the SepPak $C_{18}$ cartridge were as follows: the loaded amount, 0.4 g of methanol extract; the washing solvents, distilled water of 25 ml at first and then $30\%$ methanol of 25 ml; the elution solvent, $90\%$ methanol of 5 ml. The optimum HPLC conditions for the determination of ginsenosides were as follows: column, Lichrosorb $NH_2(25{\times}0.4cm,$ 5${\mu}m$, Merck Co.); mobile phase, a mixture of acetonitrile/water/isopropanol (80/5/15) and acetonitrile/water/isopropanol (80/20/15) with gradient system; and the detector, ELSD. On the basis of the optimum conditions a method for the quantitative analysis of ginsenosides were proposed and another cross-examination was carried out for the validation of the selected analytical method conditions. The coefficient of variances (CVs) on the contents of ginsenoside-$Rg_{1}$, -Re and $-Rb_1$ were lower than $3\%$ and the recovery rates of ginsenosides were $89.4\~95.7\%,$ which suggests that the above extraction and separation conditions may be reproducible and reasonable. For the selected HPLC/ELSD conditions, the CVs on the detector responses of ginsenoside-Rg, -Re and $-Rb_1$) were also lower than $3\%$, the regression coefficients for the calibration curves of ginsenosides were higher than 0.99 and two adjacent ginsenoside peaks were well separated, which suggests that the above HPLC/ELSD conditions may be good enough for the determination of ginsenosides.