The Production of Ginseng Saponins with the Cell Culture of Korean Ginseng Plant

세포배양에 의한 고려인삼 성분의 생산연구

Panax ginseng root has been widely used as an important drug for thousands years in China, Korea and Japan. The main effective components of ginseng have been believed to be saponins. However, ginseng cultivation is very difficult and needs many years for growth. It has already been shown that Panax ginseng callus produces a considerable amount of the same kinds of saponins as in intact plants. Various culture conditions were examined for increased production of ginseng saponins by cell culture. The saponin contents and the growth rates in two cell lines of ginseng callus were compared in static and suspension cultures, rotary and reciprocal shaking cultures. It was shown that the growth rate in rotary shaking cultures of D5-B2K-B2K callus was the highest and ginseng saponin production was most effective in reciprocal cultures of D5-B2K-B2K callus. The saponin content per fresh weight of the culture was 1.03 times higher than that of the fresh ginseng root.