• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.747-755
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• 2020

Background: Ginsenosides accumulation responses to temperature are critical to quality formation in cold-dependent American ginseng. However, the studies on cold requirement mechanism relevant to ginsenosides have been limited in this species. Methods: Two experiments were carried out: one was a multivariate linear regression analysis between the ginsenosides accumulation and the environmental conditions of American ginseng from different sites of China and the other was a synchronous determination of ginsenosides accumulation, overall DNA methylation, and relative gene expression in different tissues during different developmental stages of American ginseng after experiencing different cold exposure duration treatments. Results: Results showed that the variation of the contents as well as the yields of total and individual ginsenosides Rg1, Re, and Rb1 in the roots were closely associated with environmental temperature conditions which implied that the cold environment plays a decisive role in the ginsenoside accumulation of American ginseng. Further results showed that there is a cyclically reversible dynamism between methylation and demethylation of DNA in the perennial American ginseng in response to temperature seasonality. And sufficient cold exposure duration in winter caused sufficient DNA demethylation in tender leaves in early spring and then accompanied the high expression of flowering gene PqFT in flowering stages and ginsenosides biosynthesis gene PqDDS in green berry stages successively, and finally, maximum ginsenosides accumulation occurred in the roots of American ginseng. Conclusion: We, therefore, hypothesized that cold-induced DNA methylation changes might regulate relative gene expression involving both plant development and plant secondary metabolites in such cold-dependent perennial plant species.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.62-72
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• 1995

During the controlled atmosphere storage (CA), fresh ginseng showed good appearance in quality, and other deterioration of freshness was not observed until 12 weeks. On the other hand, MA storage had kept freshness only in treatment of 1 until 8 weeks. There was no significant difference between treated and non-treated sample with preservatives, and not treated sample was not infected with various different fungi. Moisture contents and hardness of ginseng in all treatments were not changed much until 12 weeks, and surface shrinkage did not occur either. But shear stress increased somewhat in all treatments after 12 weeks. The granule of microstructure in tissue diminished slightly. The apparent Quality of red ginseng was good until 4 weeks of treatment. But as time passed, white skin and wrinkled skin were generated and darkened in its color. B-1 in CA and E-1 in MA were found to be the most favorable one. The content of crude saponin did not change significantly during storage of CA or MA by preservation conditions and period. Though a small increase in saponin content from 4.92% to 5.43% was recognized in B-1, which was treated with preservative and 6.0% In B-2, control, this could rather explain increment of soluble component by butanol. Thus, there was no change in total contents of ginsenoside pattern and composition of each content. The Rbl content in B-1 and B-2 were 0.98%, and 0.97%, respectively, whereas that of control was 0.96%. E-1 of MA, treated with preservative was 5.32% after 12 weeks, but was 5.73% in control, indicating that ginsenosides pattern was quite similar to that of CA storage.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.316-325
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• 2017

Background: Ginseng essence (GE) is a formulation comprising four medicinal and edible herbs including ginseng (Panax ginseng), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), lotus seed (Nelumbo nucifera), and lily bulb (Lilium longiflorum). This study was aimed at investigating the hepatoprotective effect of GE against carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced liver injury in rats. Methods: We treated Wistar rats daily with low, medium, and high [0.625 g/kg body weight (bw), 1.25 g/kg bw, and 3.125 g/kg bw, respectively] doses of GE for 9 wk. After the 1st wk of treatment, rats were administered 20% $CCl_4$ (1.5 mL/kg bw) two times a week to induce liver damage until the treatment ended. Results: Serum biochemical analysis indicated that GE ameliorated the elevation of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase and albumin decline in $CCl_4$-treated rats. Moreover, $CCl_4$-induced accumulation of hepatic total cholesterol and triglyceride was inhibited. The hepatoprotective effects of GE involved enhancing the hepatic antioxidant defense system including glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. In addition, histological analysis using hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome staining showed that GE inhibited $CCl_4$-induced hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining of alpha-smooth muscle actin indicated that $CCl_4$-triggered activation of hepatic stellate cells was reduced. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that GE improves $CCl_4$-induced liver inflammation and fibrosis by attenuating oxidative stress. Therefore, GE could be a promising hepatoprotective herbal formulation for future development of phytotherapy.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.379-385
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• 2017

In this study, white ginseng was used as the raw material, which was fermented with Paecilomyces hepiali through solid culture medium, to produce ginsenosides with modified chemical composition. The characteristic chemical markers of the products thus produced were investigated using rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (RRLC-QTOF-MS). Chemical profiling data were obtained, which were then subjected to multivariate statistical analysis for the systematic comparison of active ingredients in white ginseng and fermented ginseng to understand the beneficial properties of ginsenoside metabolites. In addition, the effects of these components on biological activity were investigated to understand the improvements in the phagocytic function of macrophages in zebrafish. According to the established RRLC-QTOF-MS chemical profiling, the contents in ginsenosides of high molecular weight, especially malonylated protopanaxadiol ginsenosides, were slightly reduced due to the fermentation, which were hydrolyzed into rare and minor ginsenosides. Moreover, the facilitation of macrophage phagocytic function in zebrafish following treatment with different ginseng extracts confirmed that the fermented ginseng is superior to white ginseng. Our results prove that there is a profound change in chemical constituents of ginsenosides during the fermentation process, which has a significant effect on the biological activity of these compounds.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.135-142
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• 2010

Low quality fresh ginseng was fermented by Pheliuus linteus mycelium at $22^{\circ}C$ for 30 days, then extracted by water solvent at $100^{\circ}C$ for 180 min. On human normal cell lines (HEK293), cytotoxicity was about 10% lower in adding extracts of the fermentation ginseng than that from low quality ginseng. The fermented extracts also inhibited the growth of several human cancer cells. Among them, respectively, digestive organs related cancer cells, such as human stomach adenocarcnioma and human epithelial adenocarcinoma were most effectively inhibited up to 85% and 90%, respectively. Then, selectivities were in the ranges of 3 to 5, compared to 2 to 3 from low quality fresh ginseng. Generally, fermented ginseng extract showed higher anticancer activities as well as higher DPPH radical sacavening activity, possibly due to high contents of total phenolic components as 6.96 mg/g. It was very interesting that the fermented ginseng contained very higher contents of ginsenoside-Rc+$Rb_2$, compared to others in low quality fresh ginseng because of partition digestion of mycelium growth. The results can tell that low quality fresh ginseng can be utilized by the fermentation with Pheliuus linteus mycelium.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.115-125
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• 2022

Background: Ginsenosides (GS) have potential value as cosmetic additives for prevention of skin photoaging. However, their protective mechanisms against skin barrier damage and their active monomeric constituents are unknown. Methods: GS monomer types and their relative proportions were identified. A UVB-irradiated BALB/c hairless mouse model was used to assess protective effects of GS components on skin epidermal thickness and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Skin barrier function, reflected by filaggrin (FLG), involucrin (IVL), claudin-1 (Cldn-1), and aquaporin 3 (AQP3) levels and MAPK phosphorylation patterns, were analyzed in UVB-irradiated hairless mice or HaCaT cells. Results: Total GS monomeric content detected by UPLC was 85.45% and was largely attributed to 17 main monomers that included Re (16.73%), Rd (13.36%), and Rg1 (13.38%). In hairless mice, GS ameliorated UVB-induced epidermal barrier dysfunction manifesting as increased epidermal thickness, increased TEWL, and decreased stratum corneum water content without weight change. Furthermore, GS treatment of UVB-irradiated mice restored protein expression levels and epidermal tissue distributions of FLG, IVL, Cldn-1, and AQP3, with consistent mRNA and protein expression results obtained in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells (except for unchanging Cldn-1 expression). Mechanistically, GS inhibited JNK, p38, and ERK phosphorylation in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells, with a mixture of Rg2, Rg3, Rk3, F2, Rd, and Rb3 providing the same protective MAPK pathway inhibition-associated upregulation of IVL and AQP3 expression as provided by intact GS treatment. Conclusion: GS protection against UVB-irradiated skin barrier damage depends on activities of six ginsenoside monomeric constituents that inhibit the MAPK signaling pathway.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.296-303
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• 2022

Background: Skin microbiota is important for maintenance of skin homeostasis; however, its disturbance may cause an increase in pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, we aimed to develop a red ginseng formulation that can selectively promote beneficial bacteria. Methods: The effects of red ginseng formulation on microorganism growth were analyzed by comparing the growth rates of Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, and Cutibacterium acnes. Various preservatives mixed with red ginseng formulation were evaluated to determine the ideal composition for selective growth promotion of S. epidermidis. Red ginseng formulation with selected preservative was loaded into a biocompatible polymer mixture and applied to the faces of 20 female subjects in the clinical trial to observe changes in the skin microbiome. Results: Red ginseng formulation promoted the growth of S. aureus and S. epidermidis compared to fructooligosaccharide. When 1,2-hexanediol was applied with red ginseng formulation, only S. epidermidis showed selective growth. The analysis of the release rates of ginsenoside-Rg1 and -Re revealed that the exact content of Pluronic F-127 was around 11%. The application of hydrogel resulted in a decrease in C. acnes in all subjects. In subjects with low levels of S. epidermidis, the distribution of S. epidermidis was significantly increased with the application of hydrogel formulation and total microbial species of subjects decreased by 50% during the clinical trial. Conclusion: We confirmed that red ginseng formulation with 1,2-hexanediol can help maintain skin homeostasis through improvement of skin microbiome.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.1031-1037
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• 2007

Changes in red ginseng fusion cheonggukjang properties under various hydrolytic conditions were investigated for its possible application to different types of food products. Among the four types of protease that were analyzed, protease (KMF -G) produced the highest hydrolysis rate, calcium binding capacity, and total phenolic compound content. In addition, the highest fibrinolytic activity and ACE inhibitory activity were also exhibited at 87.10 units and 67.17%, respectively. Among a number of different protease concentrations, a 0.02% concentration of protease (KMF-G) was found to be appropriate for the purposes of the study. The best results for red ginseng cheonggukjang hydrolysis were observed at the 60 and 90 min intervals. However, there was not a significant difference between the results at the two time points. The unpleasant odor and bitter taste associated with red ginseng fusion cheonggukjang improved with hydrolytic activity exceeding 60 min. Thus, the optimal hydrolysis time was determined to be 60 min. The total ginsenoside content of red ginseng cheonggukjang was 9.197 mg/g and the hydrolysate content was 11.707 mg/g. Based on the results, it was determined that the addition of 0.02% protease (KMF -G) and treatment for 60 min are the optimal hydrolytic conditions for red ginseng cheonggukjang to improve its biochemical characteristics, including fibronolytic activity and ACE inhibitory activity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1444-1448
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• 2006

This study was investigated for quality characteristics of Baechukimchi with ginseng during fermentation. For Baechukimchi preparation, original ingredients of Baechukimchi and high contents of ginseng were used. In the initial pH and titratable acidity of each samples, ginseng -added Kimchi showed a little higher value than pH 5.48 and 0.25% acidity of the control Kimchi. Ginseng-added Kimchi showed higher values of total microbes $(1.90\times10^6\sim2.93\times10^6)$ and lactic acid bacteria $(2.21\times10^6\sim2.62\times10^6)$ than the control Kimchi. The control Kimchi was total microbes of $1.59\times10^5$ and lactic acid bacteria of $7.60\times10^4$. According to fermentation periods, ginseng-added Kimchi showed decrease of pH and increase of titratable acidity than the control Kimchi, but it. was not different for the microbes between Kimchi samples. In the taste intensity of sensory evaluation, ginseng-added Kimchi was evaluated higher value than the control Kimchi and kept up texture, properties of initial preparation between samples during fermentation periods. In the crude saponin content, raw ginseng was 5.89% by dry basis and it was decreased to 3.74% after fermentation. And the individual ginsenosides content of Re, $Rg_1$, Rf, $Rg_2,\;Rh_1,\;Rb_1,$, Rc, $Rb_2$, Rd, $Rg_3$, but $Rg_3$ were decreased and $Rh_1$ were increased from 16.6 mg%, and 22.2 mg/% to 59.2 mg%, and 39.4 mg%, respectively.