Effects of Dammarane Glycosides of Panax ginseng on Cholinergic Neurons in Primary Cultured Chicken Embryonic Brain Cells

일차배양한 계배 뇌세포 내의 콜린성 신경에 대한 인삼 Dammarane계 Glycosides의 작용

The cholinergic activity of dammarane glycosides of Panax ginseng was examined both morphologically and chemically on primary cultures of chicken embryonic brain cells. When primary cultured chicken embryonic cells were treated with $50\;{\mu}g/ml$ of total dammarane glycosides of Panax ginseng followed by the exposure to 10mM atropine for 48 hr, lactate dehydrogenase levels within the cells remained at 36% of untreated control values while atropine-treated controls fell to 0% lactate dehydrogenase. It was found that cholinergic activity was mainly exerted by the panaxadiol glycosides. The treatment of the cells with $50\;{\mu}g/ml$ of panaxadiol glycosides followed by the exposure to atropine, lactate dehydrogenase levels within the cells remained at 60% of untreated control values. Ginsenoside $Rb_1$, a component of panaxadiol glycosides, was found to exert the cholinergic activity keeping the lactate dehydrogenase levels within the cells at 70% of untreated control values. The cholinergic activity of ginsenoside $Rb_1$ seems to be exerted through acting on the $Ca^{2+}$ channel in cultured brain cells.