• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.66-72
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• 2014

Panax ginseng is one of the most important medicinal plants in Asia. Triterpene saponins, known as ginsenosides, are the major pharmacological compounds in P. ginseng. The present study was conducted to evaluate the changes in ginsenoside composition according to the foliation stage of P. ginseng cultured in a hydroponic system. Among the three tested growth stages (closed, intermediate, and opened), the highest amount of total ginsenoside in the main and fine roots was in the intermediate stage. In the leaves, the highest amount of total ginsenoside was in the opened stage. The total ginsenoside content of the ginseng leaf was markedly increased in the transition from the closed to intermediate stage, and increased more slowly from the intermediate to opened leaf stage, suggesting active biosynthesis of ginsenosides in the leaf. Conversely, the total ginsenoside content of the main and fine roots decreased from the intermediate to opened leaf stage. This suggests movement of ginsenosides during foliation from the root to the leaf, or vice versa. The difference in the composition of ginsenosides between the leaf and root in each stage of foliation suggests that the ginsenoside profile is affected by foliation stage, and this profile differs in each organ of the plant. These results suggest that protopanaxadiol- and protopanaxatriol(PPT)-type ginsenosides are produced according to growth stage to meet different needs in the growth and defense of ginseng. The higher content of PPT-type ginsenosides in leaves could be related to the positive correlation between light and PPT-type ginsenosides.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.40-51
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• 2024

Background: Ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 shows promising tumor-suppressive effects in ovarian cancer via inhibiting NF-kB signaling. This study aimed to explore the downstream tumor suppressive mechanisms of ginsenoside Rg3 via this signaling pathway. Materials and methods: A systematical screening was applied to examine the expression profile of 41 kinesin family member genes in ovarian cancer. The regulatory effect of ginsenoside Rg3 on KIF20A expression was studied. In addition, we explored interacting proteins of KIF20A and their molecular regulations in ovarian cancer. RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was used for bioinformatic analysis. Epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3 and A2780 were used as in vitro and in vivo cell models. Commercial human ovarian cancer tissue arrays were used for immunohistochemistry staining. Results: KIF20A is a biomarker of poor prognosis among the kinesin genes. It promotes ovarian cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Ginsenoside Rg3 can suppress the transcription of KIF20A. GST pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation (IP) assays confirmed that KIF20A physically interacts with BTRC (β-TrCP1), a substrate recognition subunit for SCF^β-TrCP E3 ubiquitin ligase. In vitro ubiquitination and cycloheximide (CHX) chase assays showed that via interacting with BTRC, KIF20A reduces BTRC-mediated CDC25A poly-ubiquitination and enhances its stability. Ginsenoside Rg3 treatment partly abrogates KIF20A overexpression-induced CDC25A upregulation. Conclusion: This study revealed a novel anti-tumor mechanism of ginsenoside Rg3. It can inhibit KIF20A transcription and promote CDC25A proteasomal degradation in epithelial ovarian cancer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.222-229
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• 2019

Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) was processed by drying, steaming, or puffing, and the effects of these processes on the ginsenoside profile were investigated. The main root of 4-year-old raw Korean ginseng was dried to produce white ginseng. Steaming, followed by drying, was employed to produce red or black ginseng. In addition, these three varieties of processed ginseng were puffed using a rotational puffing gun. Puffed ginseng showed significantly higher extraction yields of ginsenosides (49.87-58.60 g solid extract/100 g of sample) and crude saponin content (59.40-63.87 mg saponin/g of dried ginseng) than non-puffed ginseng, respectively. Moreover, puffing effectively transformed the major ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, and Rg1) of ginseng into minor ones (F2, Rg3, Rk1, and Rg5), comparable to the steaming process effect on the levels of the transformed ginsenosides. However, steaming takes much longer (4 to 36 days) than puffing (less than 30 min) for ginsenoside transformation. Consequently, puffing may be an effective and economical technique for enhancing the extraction yield and levels of minor ginsenosides responsible for the major biological activities of ginseng.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.227-231
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• 1994

The stability of red ginseng saponin in aqueous solution was studied with the acceleration test method. The degradation rate constant of ginsenoside Rb1, an index component of red ginseng saponin, was $2.371{\times}10^{-4}\;day^{-1}$ at $20^{\circ}C$, and the shelf-life was about 570 days. The pH-rate profile demonstrated that the most stable range was pH 6-8. Mannitol and benzyl alcohol, common excipients for injection, exerted no influence on the degradation reaction of ginsenoside Rb1.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2013

In this present study, we determined the immunoregulatory activity of ginsenoside Rd extract from Panax ginseng. To determine the activity, we tested Rd against $CD4^+$ Th cells in a murine model of type 1 diabetes, which involves Th1-dominant immunity. The type 1 diabetes was caused by streptozotocin (STZ) and the severity of the diabetes was evaluated by measuring the degree of hyperglycemia, a major symptom of diabetes. The data resulting from experiments showed that ginsenoside Rd induced a greater level of Th1 type cytokines [IFN-${\gamma}$ & IL-2] than Th2 type [IL-4 & IL-10] (P<0.05), which was determined by cytokine profile analysis. In the animal model of diabetes, the depletion of $CD4^+$ Th cells by a treatment of anti-CD4 mAb resulted in considerably lower values of blood-glucose levels than those of the mAb-untreated mice, which indicates that the Th1 immune response from $CD4^+$ Th cells are responsible for diabetes. Based on these observations, the effect of Rd on diabetes was examined in the same animal model. Results showed that Rd-treated mice groups had increased levels of blood glucose compared to Rd-untreated mice groups that were used as a negative control (P<0.05). In other words, Rd aggravated the diabetes via the Th1 immune response. In conclusion, ginsenoside Rd had an immunoregulatory activity of Th1-dominant immunity.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.103-111
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• 2024

Background: Ginseng (Panax ginseng Mayer) is an important natural medicine. However, a long culture period and challenging quality control requirements limit its further use. Although artificial cultivation can yield a sustainable medicinal supply, research on the association between the transplantation and chaining of metabolic networks, especially the regulation of ginsenoside biosynthetic pathways, is limited. Methods: Herein, we performed Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry based metabolomic measurements to evaluate ginsenoside accumulation and categorise differentially abundant metabolites (DAMs). Transcriptome measurements using an Illumina Platform were then conducted to probe the landscape of genetic alterations in ginseng at various ages in transplantation mode. Using pathway data and crosstalk DAMs obtained by MapMan, we constructed a metabolic profile of transplantation Ginseng. Results: Accumulation of active ingredients was not obvious during the first 4 years (in the field), but following transplantation, the ginsenoside content increased significantly from 6-8 years (in the wild). Glycerolipid metabolism and Glycerophospholipid metabolism were the most significant metabolic pathways, as Lipids and lipid-like molecule affected the yield of ginsenosides. Starch and sucrose were the most active metabolic pathways during transplantation Ginseng growth. Conclusion: This study expands our understanding of metabolic network features and the accumulation of specific compounds during different growth stages of this perennial herbaceous plant when growing in transplantation mode. The findings provide a basis for selecting the optimal transplanting time.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.227-237
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• 2002

One prominent characteristic of2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzop-dioxin (TCDD) toxicity in rats is a reduction of body weight accompanied by an altered serum lipid profile such as hyperlipidemia. A single administration of TCDD (50 ug/kg) resulted in a decrease of body weight and increase of serum cholesterol in rats. TCDD-induced weight loss and serum cholesterol elevation was reduced in rats administered with water extract (100 mg/kg) or saponin fraction (40 mg/kg) of Panax ginseng C.A.Meyer. In contrast, the administration of Panax quinquefolium did not inhibit the TCDD-induced weight loss and serum cholesterol elevation. Histological examinations of liver and testis revealed the administration of saponin fraction of Panax ginseng attenuated the TCDD-induced hispathologicallesions whereas the administration of saponin fraction of Panax quinquefolium did not. High performance liquid chromatographic analysis demonstrated high percentiles of ginsenoside Rg and ginsenoside $Rh_1$ were evident in saponin fraction of Panax ginseng. Results indicate that the protective effects of Panax ginseng, not Panax quinquefolium, on the TCDD-induced toxicity might be resulted from different compositions of saponins in Panax ginseng.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.208-214
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• 2017

Proximate analysis and antioxidant activity of cultivated wild Panax ginseng (CWPG) were investigated to provide fundamental information of CWPG with different ages and to increase its industrial application. Proximate analyses of CWPG with different ages were performed. Extraction of CWPG with different ages was carried out using heat-reflux extraction, and their extraction yield, crude saponin content, ginsenoside content, and antioxidant activity were analyzed. Moisture content decreased, but crude fat and crude protein were increased with aging. Extraction yield and crude saponin contents did not show a specific pattern while 5-year-old CWPG revealed the highest extraction yield and crude saponin content. All CWPGs showed typical ginsenoside profiles containing C-K and Rh2 ginsenosides, which are not found in ginseng. The 3-year-old CWPG showed the highest antioxidant activity including total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities. Moreover, 3-year-old CWPG also revealed the highest acidic polysaccharide content. Therefore, these results suggested that 3-year-old CWPG, which is the cheapest, can be used in industrial application due to its high antioxidant activity and acidic polysaccharide content with similar ginsenoside profile compared to 5- and 7-year-old CWPGs.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.6774-6781
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• 2014

This study examined the efficacy and the mechanism of action of biological response modifiers, ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 isolated from Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer on human keratinocytes HaCaT cell lines. A non-significant cytotoxic response was obtained in the HaCaT cell lines on treatment with various concentrations of ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 for different time durations. Furthermore, the global changes in the mRNA profile of HaCaT cells were investigated using DNA microarrays after stimulation with the ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1. Ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 strongly increased FGF2 in HaCaT cells, and were found to be a candidate gene for antioxidant activity and elasticity. Other key candidate genes for antioxidant activity, such as FANCD2, LEPR, and FAS, also show enhanced regulation in HaCaT cells treated with ginsenoside Rb1. This study will be useful for understanding the regulatory genes involved in skin elasticity and signal transduction pathway stimulated by the ginsenoside Rb1. This paper currently focuses on the key factors regulating the interaction of anti-aging principles and skin elasticity.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.1087-1094
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was investigated hypoglycemic effects of fermented red ginseng extracts. We prepared non-fermented red ginseng extracts(R), fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum(RL) extracts, Saccharomycescerevisiae(RS) extracts, and L. plantarum mixed S. cerevisiae(RLS) extracts, examined composition of ginsenosides, SOD-like activity, and $\alpha$-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Ginsenoside Re was highest contents in all extracts, second was ginsenoside Rc and then ginsenoside Rb1. Concentration of these ginsenoside was showed higher in RS than in other extracts. SOD-like activity and $\alpha$-glucosidase inhibitory activity were shown higher in fermented red ginseng extracts than non fermented extracts. And activities of mixed fermentation extracts(RLS) higher than single fermentation extracts(RL, RS). Effects of blood glucose level, serum lipid profile and metabolic variables were evaluated in streptozotocin(STZ) induced diabetic rat. Experimental group was divided into 7 groups: normal control group(hereafter NC group), diabetes control group(DC group), positive control group treated with 50 mg/kg body weight of acarbose(PC group), treated with 300 mg/kg body weight of R, RL, RS and RLS extracts groups, respectively. Blood glucose level of DC group was maintained high level in all experimental period, but treated with red ginseng extracts groups was reduced the glucose level by R group 18.00%, RL group 28.07%, RS group 29.03%, RLS group 42.42%, respectively. The concentration of total cholesterol and triglyceride of fermented red ginseng extracts treated groups (RL, RS, RLS) was lower than non- fermented extracts group(R) DC and PC groups. The activity of ALT, AST in RLS treated groups were lower than other groups.