• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.176-183
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• 2023

The extraction and filtration of red ginseng with a mixed solvent of water and alcohol-a common processing method-and the production of a concentrate through heat treatment, such as steaming, leads to its hydrolysis or polymerization. Approximately 200 ginsenosides have consequently been detected in small amounts, in addition to the identification of the functions of approximately 30 major ginsenosides. This complicates the identification of the functionality of red ginseng and its efficacy, and has negative effects as a functional food, as the astringent taste becomes stronger with an increase in the number of extractions. The red ginseng concentrate was, therefore, extracted at a low temperature (less than 40 ℃) and processed to eliminate these negative aspects, with a specific focus on the characteristics of the functional components of ginsenosides.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.54-59
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• 1996

Red Ginseng extracts sol'n was sterilized at 85f for 20 mins and/or stored at 4$0^{\circ}C$ for 6 months and centrifuged for 20 mins at 8,500xg in order to investigate the changes in chemical components of supernatants and the properties of precipitates. Contents of crude saponin and ginsenoside-$Rb_1$, -$Rg_1$, -Re were partially decreased during heating and storage. Starch contents were decreased from 26.81% in red ginseng extracts to 17.50-8.81% in supernatants, whereas free sugar contents were increased from 15.50% to 20.29~21.35% by heating and storage. The contents of protein and minerals in supernatants were decreased, but acidic polysaccharides and polyphenol compounds were not changed. pH values of supernatants and precipitates were decreased. The absorbances of brown color precursor and brown pigment in precipitates, detected at 285 nm and 440 nm were remarkably increased. The Overa11 data suggest that precipitates in red ginseng extracts sol'n formed during steilization and storage are provably the brown pigments resulting from Maillard reaction of amino compounds with reducing sugar which could be released from starch and protein matrix and $Cu^+$, $Ca^{2+}$ and $Fe^{3+}$ ions are implicated with the reaction incorporated.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.161-166
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• 2014

Ginseng is widely used for its promising healing and restorative properties as well as for its possible tonic effect in traditional medicine. Nowadays, many studies focus on purified individual ginsenoside, an important constituent in ginseng, and study its specific mechanism of action instead of whole-plant extracts on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Of the various ginsenosides, purified ginsenosides such as Rb1, Rg1, Rg3, Rh1, Re, and Rd are the most frequently studied. Although there are many reports on the molecular mechanisms and medical applications of ginsenosides in the treatment of CVDs, many concerns exist in their application. This review discusses current works on the countless pharmacological functions and the potential benefits of ginseng in the area of CVDs. Results: Both in vitro and in vivo results indicate that ginseng has potentially positive effects on heart disease through its various properties including antioxidation, reduced platelet adhesion, vasomotor regulation, improving lipid profiles, and influencing various ion channels. To date, approximately 40 ginsenosides have been identified, and each has a different mechanism of action owing to the differences in chemical structure. This review aims to present comprehensive information on the traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of ginseng, especially in the control of hypertension and cardiovascular function. In addition, the review also provides an insight into the opportunities for future research and development on the biological activities of ginseng.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.413-418
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• 2011

This survey was conducted to monitor the safety of red ginseng products in Gwangju, in 2010. Among 100 samples, 37 were beverages, 5 were functional health foods on the market, and 58 were beverages from a tailor-made shop. All samples were negative for coliform bacteria. Aerobic plate counts were detected from 13 samples in the 58 tailor-made products but not detected in the other types of products. Benzoic acid was detected in 5 samples (range, 19.2-543.0 mg/kg). Among heavy metals, lead was detected, ranging from 28.8-62.3 ${\mu}g/kg$, cadmium, from 1.15-4.18 ${\mu}g/kg$, and mercury from 0.10-0.18 ${\mu}g/kg$. Benzopyrene was not detected in any samples. Ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 were detected in 0.1-23.4 mg/90 mL of beverages and 12.1-66.8 mg/90 mL of functional health foods. These results indicate that red ginseng products are safe in terms of microbial contaminants and hazardous chemical compounds such as heavy metals and benzopyrene.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.291-299
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• 2020

Background: Ginseng (G) and Ligustrum lucidum Ait (LLA) are core traditional Chinese medicines in treating myelosuppression formula. The present study was designed to profile effect of G and LLA herb pair (G-LLA) on myelosuppressed mice. Methods: The mice myelosuppression model was established by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of cyclophosphamide (Cy). Hematopoietic function of bone marrow was measured by hemopoietic progenitor cell culture and peripheral blood count, and serum hemopoietic factors were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Bone marrow cell cycle was performed by flow cytometry. HPLC was used to measure 20 potential chemical components related to myelosuppression, including ginsenoside Rg₁, Re, Rb₁, Rc, Rb₂, Rb₃, Rd, Rk₃, Rh₄, 20 (S)-Rg₃, 20 (R)-Rg₃, Rk₁, Rg₅, salidroside, and so on. Results: G, LLA, and G-LLA improved the amount of peripheral blood cells and bone marrow cells of myelosuppressed mice (P < 0.01). They significantly increased the colony quantity of colony-forming unit-granulocyte macrophage, burst-forming unit-erythroid, colony-forming unit-erythroid, and colony-forming unit-megakaryocyte and amount of G₂/M and S phase cells (P < 0.01). They also significantly decreased the amount of hematopoiesis-related cytokines (P < 0.01). The content of chemical components in G-LLA changed, and the change of rare saponin was the most obvious. Conclusion: These results show that G-LLA herb pair might produce synergistic or complementary compatibility effects on bone marrow suppression after chemotherapy. It suggests that the substance basis of G-LLA for treating bone marrow suppression may be effective chemical components.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.146-153
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• 2017

In this study, we isolated ginseng crude saponin (GCS) from Korean red ginseng (KRG) and determined the ginsenoside content in it to investigate the physiological and pathological effects of GCS on acute pulmonary inflammation induced by intratracheal instillation of cigarette smoke condensates (CSC) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) solution in BALB/c mice. GCS was orally administered at doses of 10 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg for 3 weeks. The recovery rate of GCS from KRG was 6.5 % and total ginsenosides from GCS was 1.13 %, and the content of Rb1 was the highest among them. Total inflammatory cells in the lung homogenates and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) increased following intratracheal administration of CSC and LPS. However, GCS administration impaired this increase. Furthermore, it inhibited the increase in leukocytes in the blood, considerably decreased neutrophils in BALF, and declined infiltration of inflammatory cells and deposition of collagen in the tracheal and alveolar tissue. In this study, GCS was found to have a protective effect against acute pulmonary inflammation and it may be beneficial in preventing various respiratory diseases.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.3
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• pp.253-261
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• 2021

In this study, the ginseng sprout has produced through smart farm was classified according to its size and divided into above-ground (AG) and below-ground (BG) parts to compare ginsenoside contents and antioxidant activity. In the case of the AG part, the total phenolic contents were the highest at 5.16 mg/g in medium (M) size and the lowest at 2.23 mg/g in largest (L) size. The BG part also showed the highest content in the M size, but there was no significant difference. Also, the total flavonoid contents were also high in the M size in both the AG (5.16 mg/g) and BG (1.28 mg/g) parts. The major ginsenosides in the AG part were Re (20.33-24.15 mg/g) > Rd (11.36-27.42 mg/g) > Rg1 (4.48-5.54 mg/g) and the main ginsenosides in the BG part were Rb1 (5.09-8.61 mg/g) > Re (4.48-5.54 mg/g) > Rc (3.11-4.11 mg/g) in orders. In the case of M size, Re and Rd were approximately 4- and 19-folds higher at 24.15 mg/g and at 27.42 mg/g in the AG part and 5.20 mg/g and 1.43 mg in the BG part, respectively. In addition, F3 and Rh1 were detected in the AG part, but not in the BG part. 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (74.95%), 2,4,6-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphnoic acid) diammonium salt (94.47%), and hydroxyl (70.39%) radical scavenging activities and FRAP (2.169) assay were the highest in M size than other sizes.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.52-62
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• 2006

In previous reports we demonstrated that ginsenosides, active ingredients of Panax ginseng, affect some subsets of voltage-dependent $Ca^{2+}$ channels in neuronal cells expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. However, the major component(s) of ginseng that affect cloned $Ca^{2+}$ channel subtypes such as ${\alpha}_{1C}$(L)-, ${\alpha}_{1B}$(N)-, ${\alpha}_{1A}$(P/Q)-, ${\alpha}_{1E}$(R)- and ${\alpha}_{1G}$(T) have not been identified. Here, we used the two-microelectrode voltage clamp technique to characterize the effects of ginsenosides and ginsenoside metabolites on $Ba^{2+}$ currents ($I_{Ba}$) in Xenopus oocytes expressing five different $Ca^{2+}$ channel subtypes. Exposure to ginseng total saponins (GTS) induced voltage-dependent, dose-dependent and reversible inhibition of the five channel subtypes, with particularly strong inhibition of the ${\alpha}_{1G}$-type. Of the various ginsenosides, $Rb_1$, Rc, Re, Rf, $Rg_1$, $Rg_3$, and $Rh_2$, ginsenoside $Rg_3$ also inhibited all five channel subtypes and ginsenoside $Rh_2$ had most effect on the ${\alpha}_{1C}$- and ${\alpha}_{1E}$-type $Ca^{2+}$ channels. Compound K (CK), a protopanaxadiol ginsenoside metabolite, strongly inhibited only the ${\alpha}_{1G}$-type of $Ca^{2+}$ channel, whereas M4, a protopanaxatriol ginsenoside metabolite, had almost no effect on any of the channels. $Rg_3$, $Rh_2$, and CK shifted the steady-state activation curves but not the inactivation curves in the depolarizing direction in the ${\alpha}_{1B}$- and ${\alpha}_{1A}$-types. These results reveal that $Rg_3$, $Rh_2$ and CK are the major inhibitors of $Ca^{2+}$ channels in Panax ginseng, and that they show some $Ca^{2+}$ channel selectivity.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2014

In this study, our aim was to investigate the changes in ginsenosides and polyphenols in red ginseng extract fermented by Lactobacillus acidophilus and to manufacture fresh cheese using fermented red ginseng extract. Red ginseng extract (3%, w/v) was fermented by L. acidophilus for 24 h. On performing lactic acid bacteria counts, we determined that L. acidophilus reached its maximum growth phase after 16 h; this was followed by decrease in growth. During fermentation, the levels of ginsenosides Rg3 (20S) and Rg3 (20R) as well as protopanaxadiol (20R), F1, and compound K increased, while those of s Rb2, Rd, Rf, and Rg1 decreased. The pH, titratable acidity, and viable cell counts in fresh cheese prepared using fermented red ginseng extract were measured during the storage period. The pH decreased over time, while titratable acidity and viable cell counts increased with increase in the duration of the storage period. Sensory tests showed that the overall sensory properties of fresh cheese prepared using 1% fermented red ginseng extract were similar to those of the control groups. This result suggests that L. acidophilus-fermented red ginseng has potential for development as a new bioactive material.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.171-174
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• 1985

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.