Abstract: The actin cytoskeleton in the podocyte are essential for the maintenance of its normal structure and function, that disruption thereof is a feature of podocyte foot process effacement and is associated with proteinuria. α-Actinin-4 in podocytes serves as a linker protein binding actin filaments of cytoskeleton. To investigate the effect of ginseng total saponin (GTS) on the pathologic changes of podocyte α-actinin-4 induced by diabetic conditions, we cultured mouse podocytes under normal glucose (5 mM) or high glucose (HG, 30 mM), and advanced glycosylation end products (AGE) or not added conditions, and treated with GTS. In confocal imaging, α-actinin-4 colocalized with the ends of F-actin fibers in cytoplasm, however, diabetic conditions disrupted F-actin fibers and concentrated α-actinin-4 molecules at peripheral cytoplasm. GTS upregulated α-actinin protein in time- and dose-dependent manners, and suppressed receptor for AGE levels in Western blotting. Diabetic conditions, including HG, AGE, and both, decreased cellular α-actinin-4 protein levels at 24 and 48 h. Such quantitative and qualitative changes of α-actinin-4 protein induced by diabetic conditions were mitigated by GTS. These findings imply that both HG and AGE have an influence on the distribution and amount of α-actinin-4 of podocytes, which can be recovered by GTS.

Jilin Province is one of the principal production bases of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in China with its typical preponderance in TCM resources, research and development power and industrialization capacity. The province has 2,790 species of TCM materials in total. Over 20% of the TCM materials in common use are from Jilin Province. The province has established 36 Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) bases for 22 typical TCMs. The overall situation, in terms of collection, processing and preparation, and the implementation of GAP of TCM materials in Jilin Province were summarized.

Abstract: Ginsenosides, the major ingredients of Panax ginseng, have been under investigation for many decades due to a wide range of pharmacological activities in Asian countries. The less polar ginsenosides having one or two sugar residues are not present in nature and produced in the manufacturing process including heating, steaming, acid hydrolysis and enzyme reactions. Up to now, the 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic data for identification of the less polar ginsenosides are often not available or scattered. We isolated 21 compounds including 10 pairs of 20(S) and 20(R) less polar ginsenosides (1-20), and an oleanane-type triterpene (21) from the processed ginseng preparation and tried to provide the complete 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic data of the following compounds 1-21 for the rapid identification; 20(S)-ginsenosides Rh2 (1), 20(R)-Rh2 (2), 20(S)-Rg3 (3), 20(R)-Rg3 (4), 6′-O-acetyl-20(S)-Rh2 (20(S)-AcetylRh2) (5), 20(R)-AcetylRh2 (6), 25-hydroxy-20(S)-Rh2 (7), 25-hydroxy-20(S)-Rh2 (8), 20(S)-Rh1 (9), 20(R)-Rh1 (10), 20(S)-Rg2 (11), 20(R)-Rg2 (12), 25-hydroxy-20(S)-Rh1 (13), 25-hydroxy-20(R)-Rh1 (14), 20(S)-AcetylRg2 (15), 20(R)-AcetylRg2 (16), Rh4 (17), Rg5 (18), Rk1 (19), 25-hydroxy-Rh4 (20), and oleanolic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (21).

Abstract: Background: The effect of methyl jasmonate (MJ) on ginsenoside production in different organs of ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) was evaluated after the whole plant was dipped in an MJ-containing solution. MJ can induce the production of antioxidant defense genes and secondary metabolites in plants. In ginseng, MJ treatment in adventitious root resulted in the increase of dammarenediol synthase expression but a decrease of cycloartenol synthase expression, thereby enhancing ginsenoside biosynthesis. While a previous study focused on the application of MJ to affect ginsenoside production in adventitious roots, we conducted our research on entire plants by evaluating the effect of exogenous MJ on ginsenoside production with the aim of obtaining new approaches to study ginsenoside biosynthesis response to MJ in vivo.Methods: Different parts of MJ-treated ginseng plants were analyzed for ginsenoside contents (fine root, root body, epidermis, rhizome, stem, and leaf) by high-performance liquid chromatography.Results: The total ginsenoside content of the ginseng root significantly increased after two days of MJ treatment compared with the control not subjected to MJ. Our results revealed that MJ treatment enhances ginsenoside production not in the epidermis, but in the stele of the ginseng root, implying transportation of ginsenosides from the root vasculature to the epidermis. Application of MJ enhanced protopanaxadiol (PPD)-type ginsenosides, whereas chilling treatment induced protopanaxatriol (PPT)-type ginsenosides.Conclusion: These findings indicate that the production of PPD- and PPT-type ginsenosides is differently affected by abiotic and biotic stresses in the ginseng plant, and they might play different defense mechanism roles.

Abstract: In this study, we examined the effects of various enzymes on chemical conversions of ginsenosides in ginseng extract prepared by amylases. Rapidase, Econase CE, Viscozyme, Ultraflo L, and Cytolase PCL5 were used for secondary enzymatic hydrolysis after amylase treatment of ginseng extract, and ginsenoside contents, skin permeability, and chemical compositions including total sugar, acidic polysaccharide, and polyphenols were determined on the hydrolyzed ginseng extract. Rapidase treatment significantly elevated total ginsenoside contents compared with a control (p

Abstract: Objectives: We investigated the anti-diabetic effects of hydrolyzed ginseng extract for Korean participants in an eight-week, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Methods: Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) participants (5.6≤FPG

Abstract: Background: Biological control of plant pathogens using benign or beneficial microorganisms as antagonistic agents is currently considered to be an important component of integrated pest management in agricultural crops. In this study, we evaluated the potential of Bacillus subtilis HK-CSM-1 as a bio-control agent against Colletotrichum panacicola.Methods: B. subtilis strain HK-CSM-1 used for its potential as a bio-control agent of ginseng anthracnose. C. panacicola were inoculated to ginseng plants, and disease incidence and severity assessment were carried out to examine biocontrol efficacy of the bacterium against the disease.Results: Inoculation of P. ginseng plants with B. subtilis significantly suppressed the number of disease lesions of C. panacicola and was as effective as chemical fungicide (Iminoctadinetris [albesilate]). The antifungal activity of B. subtilis against C. panacicola was observed on a co-culture medium. Interestingly, B. subtilis treatment did not significantly affect the diameter of the lesions, suggesting that the mechanism of protection was through the reduction in the incidence of infection related to the initial events of the infection cycle including penetration and infection via spore germination and appressorium formation rather than by the inhibition of invasive growth after infection.Conclusion: Our results suggest that B. subtilis HK-CSM-1 can be used as an effective and ecologically friendly bio-control agent of anthracnose in P. ginseng.

Abstract: Background: White ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is commonly distributed as a health food in food markets. However, there is no practical method for distinguishing Korean white ginseng (KWG) from Chinese white ginseng (CWG), except for relying on the traceability system in the market.Methods: Ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) was employed to discriminate between KWG and CWG.Results: The origins of white ginsengs in two test sets (1.0 μL and 0.2 μL injections) could be successfully discriminated by the OPLS-DA analysis. From OPLS-DA S-plots, KWG exhibited tentative markers derived from ginsenoside Rf and notoginsenoside R3 isomer, whereas CWG exhibited tentative markers derived from ginsenoside Ro and chikusetsusaponin Iva.Conclusion: Results suggest that ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry coupled with OPLS-DA is an efficient tool for identifying the difference between the geographical origins of white ginsengs.

Abstract: In order to understand the effect of dietary components on the absorption of ginsenosides and their metabolites into the blood, we studied the pharmacokinetics of the ginseng extract and its main constituent ginsenoside Rb1 in rats with or without pretreatment with a prebiotic fiber, NUTRIOSE®, by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). When ginsenoside Rb1 was incubated with rat feces, its main metabolite was ginsenoside Rd. When the intestinal microbiota of rat feces were cultured in vitro, their ginsenoside Rd-forming activities were significantly induced by NUTRIOSE®. When ginsenoside Rb1 was orally administered to rats, the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the plasma drug concentration time curve (AUC) for the main metabolite, ginsenoside Rd, was 72.4 ± 31.6 ng/mL and 663.9 ± 285.3 μg·h/mL, respectively. When the ginseng extract (2,000 mg/kg) was orally administered, Cmax and AUC for ginsenoside Rd were 906.5 ± 330.2 ng/mL and 11,377.3 ± 4,470.2 μg·h/mL, respectively. When ginseng extract was orally administered to rats fed NUTRIOSE® containing diets (2.5%, 5%, or 10%), Cmax and AUC were increased in the NUTRIOSE® receiving groups in a dose-dependent manner. These findings reveal that intestinal microflora promote metabolic conversion of ginsenoside Rb1 and ginseng extract to ginsenoside Rd and promote its absorption into the blood in rats. Its conversion may be induced by prebiotic diets such as NUTRIOSE®.