Korean red ginseng has been widely used in traditional oriental medicine for a prolonged period and its pharmacological effects have been extensively investigated. In addition, angelica gigas and deer antlers were also used as a tonic medicine with Korean red ginseng as the oriental herbal therapy.
Micro-/nano-sized Delivery Systems of Ginsenosides for Improved Systemic Bioavailability
Ginsenosides, dammarane-type triterpene saponins obtained from Ginseng, have been used as a natural medicine for many years in the Orient due to their various pharmacological activities. However, the therapeutic potential of ginsenosides has been largely limited by the low bioavailability of the natural products caused mainly by low aqueous solubility, poor biomembrane permeability, instability in the gastrointestinal tract, and extensive metabolism in the body. To enhance the bioavailability of ginsenosides, diverse micro-/nano-sized delivery systems such as emulsions, polymeric particles, and vesicular systems have been investigated.
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Inhibitory effects of thromboxane A2 generation by ginsenoside Ro due to attenuation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 phosphorylation and arachidonic acid release
Thromboxane A2 (TXA2) induces platelet aggregation and promotes thrombus formation. Although ginsenoside Ro (G-Ro) from Panax ginseng is known to exhibit a Ca2+-antagonistic antiplatelet effect, whether it inhibits Ca2+-dependent cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2α) activity to prevent the release of arachidonic acid (AA), a TXA2 precursor, is unknown. In this study, we attempted to identify the mechanism underlying G-Ro-mediated TXA2 inhibition.
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The effect of Korean red ginseng on full thickness skin wound healing in rats
Panax ginseng is regarded as one of the best compounds for promoting health, and it has been used traditionally as a medicinal herb. Recently, Korean red ginseng (RG) has been shown to protect skin from aging and wrinkling; it can also relieve atopic dermatitis and allergy symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate RG’s effects on the regeneration of the full-thickness skin wounds in rat.
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Dammarane-type triterpene oligoglycosides from the leaves and stems of Panax notoginseng and their anti-inflammation activities
Inflammation is widespread in the clinical pathology and closely associated to the progress of many diseases. Triterpenoid saponins as a key group of active ingredients in Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen were demonstrated to show anti-inflammatory effects. However, the chemical structures of saponins in the leaves and stems of Panax notoginseng (PNLS) are still not fully clear. Herein, the isolation, purification and further evaluation of the anti-inflammation activity of dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins from PNLS were conducted.
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Simultaneous determination and difference evaluation of 14 ginsenosides in Panax ginseng roots cultivated in different areas and ages by HPLC-MRM/MS combined with multivariate statistical analysis
Ginsenosides are not only the principal bioactive components, but also the important indexes to the quality assessment of Panax ginseng Meyer. Their contents in cultivated ginseng vary with the growth environment and age. The present study aimed at evaluating the significant difference between 36 cultivated ginseng of different cultivation areas and ages based on the simultaneously determined contents of 14 ginsenosides.
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Bioactive lipids in gintonin-enriched fraction from ginseng
Ginseng is a traditional herbal medicine for human health. Ginseng contains a bioactive ligand named gintonin. The active ingredient of gintonin is lysophosphatidic acid C18:2 (LPA C18:2). We previously developed a method for gintonin-enriched fraction (GEF) preparation to mass-produce gintonin from ginseng. However, previous studies did not show the presence of other bioactive lipids besides LPAs. The aim of this study was to quantify the fatty acids, lysophospholipids (LPLs), and phospholipids (PLs) besides LPAs in GEF.
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Korean red ginseng enhances pneumococcal Δpep27 vaccine efficacy by inhibiting reactive oxygen species production
Streptococcus pneumoniae, more than 90 serotypes of which exist, is recognized as an etiologic agent of pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis associated with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Immunization with a pneumococcal pep27 mutant (Δpep27) has been shown to confer comprehensive, long-term protection against even non-typeable strains. However, Δpep27 is only effective as a vaccine after at least 3 rounds of immunization. Therefore, treatments capable of enhancing the efficiency of Δpep27 immunization should be identified without delay.
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Roles of ginsenosides in inflammasome activation
Inflammation is an innate immune response that protect the body from pathogens, toxins, and other dangers and initiated by recognizing pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) by pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) expressing on or in immune cells. Intracellular PRRs, including nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors (NLRs), absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), and cysteine aspartate-specific protease (caspase)-4/5/11 recognize various PAMPs and DAMPs and assemble protein complexes called ‘inflammasomes’.
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Differentiation and identification of ginsenoside structural isomers by two-dimensional mass spectrometry combined with statistical analysis
In the current phytochemical research on ginseng, the differentiation and structural identification of ginsenosides isomers remain challenging. In this paper, a two-dimensional mass spectrometry (2D-MS) method was developed and combined with statistical analysis for the direct differentiation, identification and relative quantification of protopanaxadiol (PPD)-type ginsenoside isomers.
