• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.324-329
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• 2009

Cell-cell adhesion managed by various adhesion molecules is known to be one of pathophysiological phenomena found in numerous immunological diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and allergic diseases. In this study, we examined the regulatory role of ginsenosides (G)- Rh1, reported to display anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects, on CD29-mediated cell adhesion. G-Rh1 significantly suppressed U937 cell-cell adhesion mediated by CD29 but not CD43. It also blocked U937 cell-fibronectin adhesion, mediated by activated CD29, up to 30%. In agreement, this compound also significantly decreased the surface level of CD29 but not CD43 as well as other costimulatory molecules such as CD69, CD80, and CD86. Therefore, these results suggest that G-Rh1 may have inhibitory function on CD29-mediated cell adhesion events, probably contributing to its anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic activities.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.147-152
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• 1997

Ginsenosides $Rh_1$ and $Rh_2$ Induced the differentiation of F9 teratocarcinoma stem cells. These agents are structurally similar to the steroid hormones, therefore, we speculated that the steroid receptor (s) or novel nuclear receptor (s) could be involved in the differentiation process induces by them. Based on this speculation, we tried to alone new nuclear receptors with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method by isolating RNA from F9 teratocarcinoma cells induced by ginsenosides. By using RT-PCR with degenerated primers from highly conserved DNA binding domain of nuclear receptors, we identified several nuclear receptors. In northern blot analysis we found that these clones are transcriptionally regulated by ginsenoside Rhl or Rh2 treatment. Further characterizations of these clones are needed to identify the mechanism of gene expression, which has an important role in the differentiation of F9 cells induced by ginsenosides.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.254-259
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• 1995

The content and composition of saponin compounds of Panax species were analyzed according to their species, region and processing type of red and white ginseng. The species employed were Korean-, Chinese-, Japanese red ginsengs, and Korean white ginseng of Panax ginseng, American- and Canadian ginsengs of Panax quinquefolium, and Panax notoinseng. Twelve main saponin components in the ginseng were identified and quantified using TLC and HPLC. All three species had remarkably different content and composition. However, within each species they were similar. Twelve major ginsenosides were determined in P. ginseng, eight in p. quinquefolium, and six in P. notoginseng. Of the components of P ginseng Rf, $Rh_1$, $Rh_2$ and Ra were not detected in P quinquefolium, and $Rb_2$, Rc, Rf, $Rh_2$, Ra and Ro not detected in P. notoinseam. Crude saponin content and protopanaxadiol/protopanaxatriol saponin ratio were compared. They were 4.81~5.24% and 1.27~ 1.45 in p. ginsengs, 7.01~7.25% and 2.12~ 2.15 in p. quinquefolium, 9.80% and 0.99 in P. notoineng. The prosapogenin and sapogenin content were different among the Panax species.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.8-8
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• 2012

Ginseng have been traditionally used for strengthening immunity, providing nutrition and recovering health from fatigue. Recently, pharmaceutical activities of ginseng roots have been proven by many researches, and ginseng has become a world-famous medicinal plant. Ginseng saponin, ginsenoside, is one of the most important secondary metabolite in ginseng which has various pharmacological activities. Many studies have aimed to convert major ginsenosides to the more active minor ginsenoside Rg3 for consumer demand ginseng product. Microbial strain GS514 strain was isolated from soil around ginseng roots for enzymatic preparation of ginsenoside Rg3, which strain shows strong ability of converting ginsenoside Rb1and Rd into Rg3 in the solution with NaCl. The gene encoding a ${\beta}$-glucosidase from this GS514 was cloned and expressed in the BL21 (DE3) strain of Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme was purified and characterized. The molecular mass of purified was 87.5 kDa, as determined by SDS-PAGE. The gene sequence revealed significant homology to the family 3 glycoside hydrolases. The purified single enzyme also catalyzed the conversion of ginsenoside Rb1 into Rg3. This target enzyme will be able to produce as much saponin for consumer demand ginseng product. Anti-apoptotic proteins bind with pro-apoptotic proteins to induce apoptosis mechanism. Over expression of these anti-apoptotic proteins lead to several cancers by preventing apoptosis. Docking simulations were performed for anti-apoptotic proteins with several ginsenosides from Panax ginseng. Our finding shows ginsenosides particularly Rg3, Rh2 and Rf have more binding affinity with apoptotic proteins. Further, these docking system of each ginsenosides can be extended to experimental screen system for further brief confirmations of several diseases.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.725-737
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• 2020

Background: T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a kind of aggressive hematological cancer, and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway is activated in most patients with T-ALL and responsible for poor prognosis. 20(S)-Ginsenoside Rh2 (20(S)-GRh2) is a major active compound extracted from ginseng, which exhibits anti-cancer effects. However, the underlying anticancer mechanisms of 20(S)-GRh2 targeting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in T-ALL have not been explored. Methods: Cell growth and cell cycle were determined to investigate the effect of 20(S)-GRh2 on ALL cells. PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway-related proteins were detected in 20(S)-GRh2-treated Jurkat cells by immunoblotting. Antitumor effect of 20(S)-GRh2 against T-ALL was investigated in xenograft mice. The mechanisms of 20(S)-GRh2 against T-ALL were examined by cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy. Results: In the present study, the results showed that 20(S)-GRh2 decreased cell growth and arrested cell cycle at the G1 phase in ALL cells. 20(S)-GRh2 induced apoptosis through enhancing reactive oxygen species generation and upregulating apoptosis-related proteins. 20(S)-GRh2 significantly elevated the levels of pEGFP-LC3 and autophagy-related proteins in Jurkat cells. Furthermore, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway was effectively blocked by 20(S)-GRh2. 20(S)-GRh2 suppressed cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis and autophagy by suppressing the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in Jurkat cells. Finally, 20(S)-GRh2 alleviated symptoms of leukemia and reduced the number of white blood cells and CD3 staining in the spleen of xenograft mice, indicating antitumor effects against T-ALL in vivo. Conclusion: These findings indicate that 20(S)-GRh2 exhibits beneficial effects against T-ALL through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and could be a natural product of novel target for T-ALL therapy.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.528-534
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• 2011

This study was conducted to investigate the changes in saponin content and antioxidant activity of crude ginseng and extruded ginseng by using different solvent extraction methods. Each of the fractions was first extracted by 80% ethanol followed by ether treatment to remove the lipid components. Water soluble components were separated by ethylacetate and water saturated butanol. Four fraction, including 80% ethanol, ethylacetate, butanol and water were obtained from crude and extruded ginsengs to analyze saponin content and antioxidant activity. Saponin content and antioxidant capacity of each of the four fractions were measured by LC/MS analysis and ORAC(Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) assay, respectively. It was found that a major portion of saponin was present in ethyl acetate and water saturated butanol fractions. When extracted by 80% ethanol, ginsenoside Rb1 and Rg1 were mostly found in crude ginseng, while ginsenoside Re and Rb1 were detected in extruded ginseng. Even though Rh1 and Rg3 were found in a very small quantity in crude ginseng, there was a significant quantity of both in extruded ginseng when extracted by 80% ethanol. Similar tendency was also observed in extruded ginseng fraction when extracted with ethyl acetate and butanol. In crude ginseng, the level of Rg1 was the highest among other ginsenosides upon extraction by ethyl acetate, while Rh1 and Rg3 were predominantly found by employing similar solvent extraction in the extruded ginseng. Also, Rg1, Re and Rb1 were also found in the extruded ginseng with small quantity. Rg1, Re and Rb1 were found in crude ginseng by butanol extraction, while Rb1 and Re were extracted from the extruded ginseng. Overall, there was no difference in the saponin content between crude ginseng and extruded ginseng when extracted by butanol and water, but twice as much of saponin was obtained by 80% ethanol extraction and 6 times more saponin were obtained in ethyl acetate fraction in the extruded ginseng. Antioxidant capacity of crude ginseng as determined by ORAC assay was higher in 80% ethanol(high in many different kinds of biological compounds) and water saturated butanol(high in polar saponin) fractions than the ethyl acetate and water fractions. No difference in antioxidant capacity was observed between crude and extruded ginseng. However, antioxidant capacity of ethyl acetate and water fractions in extruded ginseng was significantly higher than crude ginseng($P$ >0.05). All the fractions in both, crude and extruded ginseng possessed antioxidant capacity and even water fractions that contained almost no saponin had some antioxidant capacity. While determining correlation coefficient between fractions in extruded ginseng by Pearson correlation, it was observed that 80% ethanol fraction was in correlation with ethyl acetate($P$ >0.01) and ethanol($P$ >0.001) and in the case of ethylacetate, correlation was observed only with butanol fraction($P$ >0.05).

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.73-78
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to develop a new preparation process of ginseng (Panax ginseng) flower buds extracts featuring high concentration of ginsenosides Rg2, Rg3, Rg5, F4 and Rh1, red ginseng special components. Chemical transformation from ginseng saponin glycosides to prosapogenin was analyzed by the HPLC. Extracts of ginseng flower buds were processed under several treatment conditions of ultrasonication (at $100^{\circ}C$). The results showed that the quantity of ginsenoside Rg6 increased by over 8.8% at the 16 hours of ultrasonication. Ginseng flower buds ethanol extract compared with other process times. The result of UGF-16 indicates that the ultrasonication processed ginseng flower buds extracts (at $100^{\circ}C$) treated for 16 hours produced the highest amount of ginsenoside F4 (8.833%), Rg3 (2.230%), Rg5 (2.339%) and Rg2 (1.002%).

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.425-429
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• 2012

In this study, hydroponically-cultivated ginseng leaves, fruits, and roots were respectively extracted with ethanol. The contents of 12 ginsenosides and three phenolics in the extracts were quantitatively analyzed and the free radical scavenging activities were measured and compared. Hydroponically-cultivated ginseng leaves contained higher levels of gensenosides (Rg1, Rg2+Rh1, Rd, and Rg3) and p-coumaric acid than the other parts of the ginseng plants. The 2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid radical scavenging activities of leaves were also the highest. Accordingly, hydroponically-grown ginseng leaves were shown to hold promise for use as an environmentally-friendly natural anti-oxidant.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.108-116
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• 2013

For the improvement of ginsenoside bioavailability, the ginsenosides of fermented red ginseng by Phellinus linteus (FRG) were examined with respect to bioavailability and physiological activity. The polyphenol content of FRG ($19.14{\pm}0.50$ mg/g) was significantly higher (p<0.05) compared with that of non-fermented red ginseng (NFRG, $11.31{\pm}1.15$ mg/g). The antioxidant activities in FRG, such as 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid, and ferric reducing antioxidant power, were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those in NFRG. The HPLC analysis results showed that the FRG had a high level of ginsenoside metabolites. The total ginsenoside contents in NFRG and FRG were $41.65{\pm}1.53$ mg/g and $50.12{\pm}1.43$ mg/g, respectively. However, FRG had a significantly higher content ($33.90{\pm}0.97$ mg/g) of ginsenoside metabolites (Rg3, Rg5, Rk1, compound K, Rh1, F2, and Rg2) compared with NFRG ($14.75{\pm}0.46$ mg/g). The skin permeability of FRG was higher than that of NFRG using Franz diffusion cell models. In particular, after 3 h, the skin permeability of FRG was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of NFRG. Using a rat everted intestinal sac model, FRG showed a high transport level compared with NFRG after 1 h. FRG had dramatically improved bioavailability compared with NFRG as indicated by skin permeation and intestinal permeability. The significantly greater bioavailability of FRG may have been due to the transformation of its ginsenosides by fermentation to more easily absorbable forms (ginsenoside metabolites).

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.414-421
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• 2022

In this study, we isolated Weizmannia ginsengihumi LGHNH (KCTC 14462BP) from 30-year-old wild Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer and elucidated the characteristics of the isolated bacterium and its industrial potential as an anti-aging material. W. ginsengihumi LGHNH was investigated to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), a plant growth-promoting hormone (1.38 ㎍/ml to 2.22 ㎍/ml). We also confirmed the existence of bioconversion activity via the comparison of the ginsenoside content before and after fermentation. As for the converted minor ginsenoside, Rg2(R), Rg4, Rg6, Rg3(S), Rg3(R), Rk1, Rg5, Rh1(R), Rk3 and Rh4 are known to have high bioavailability and various skin effects. We measured mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP biosynthesis to elucidate W. ginsengihumi LGHNH cultured product (WCP) as an anti-aging material. As a result, the mitochondrial membrane potential in HaCaT cells with UVB decreased to 39.3% compared to the unirradiated group, but was recovered to 57.3% and 58.1% by 0.001% (v/v) and 0.01% (v/v) WCP, respectively. In addition, we measured mitochondrial ATP biosynthesis. It decreased to 94.3% compared to the unirradiated group with UVB, but was recovered to 105.3% and 105.7% by 0.001% (v/v) and 0.01% (v/v) WCP.