• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.31-35
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• 2017

Background: Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a well-known medicinal plant of Oriental medicine that is still in practice today. Until now, a total of 11 Korean ginseng cultivars with unique features to Korean ginseng have been developed based on the pure-line-selection method. Among them, a new cultivar namely G-1 with different agricultural traits related to yield and content of ginsenosides, was developed in 2012. Methods: The aim of this study was to distinguish the new ginseng cultivar G-1 by identifying the unique single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at its 45S ribosomal DNA and Panax quinquefolius region than other Korean ginseng cultivars using multiplex amplification-refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR). Results: A SNP at position of 45S ribosomal DNA region between G-1, P. quinquefolius, and the other Korean ginseng cultivars was identified. By designing modified allele-specific primers based on this site, we could specifically identified G-1 and P. quinquefolius via multiplex PCR. The unique primer for the SNP yielded an amplicon of size 449 bp in G-1 cultivar and P. quinquefolius. This study presents an effective method for the genetic identification of the G-1 cultivar and P. quinquefolius. Conclusion: The results from our study shows that this SNP-based approach to identify the G-1 cultivar will be a good way to distinguish accurately the G-1 cultivar and P. quinquefolius from other Korean ginseng cultivars using a SNP at 45S ribosomal DNA region.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2008

Ginseng saponin has been shown to inhibit the development of dependence on morphine, cocaine, methamphetamine, but the antinarcotics effects of ginseng on nalbuphine remains still largely unknown. Ginseng administration attenuated the naloxone-induced jumping behavior on nalbuphine dependent mice. The development of morphine dependence was mediated through ${\mu}-opioid$ receptor, however, development of nalbuphine dependence was mediated through ${\kappa}-opioid$ receptor. However, it was found that the efficacy of analgesic antagonism of GTS was mediated through the serotonergic mechanism, not mediated through the opioid receptor. In addition, ginseng administration modulated cellular signal transduction in the brain. The increased NMDA receptor subunit (NR1, pNR1), phosphate extracellular signal regulated protein kinase (pERK), phosphate cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB) expression by nalbuphine was decreased by the administration of ginseng powder in cortex, hippocampus, striatum of rat brain. These results suggest that ginseng could be one of the targets of antinarcotic therapies to reduce the development of tolerance and dependence on nalbuphine as well as morphine.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.299-306
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• 1996

This study was undertaken to examine the effects of fresh ginseng on the physicochemical and microbiological changes in dongchimi juice fermented under various conditions. The pH was somewhat lower in dongchimi juice added with 2.0% and 4.0% of fresh ginseng than that without ginseng, whereas the titratable acidity was higher in dongchimi juice with 2.0% and 4.0% of ginseng addition than the control. The addition of fresh ginseng to dongchimi preparation increased the numbers of total viable bacteria, lactic acid bacteria including Leuconostac mesenterotdes in dongchimi juice during fermentation. The changes in the counts of lactic acid bacteria were similar to those of total viable cells throughout the experiment except the initial stage of fermentation. However, the number of Leucosfastoc mesenternidgs decreased after the palatable stage. Key words : Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, dongchlmi juice, pH, titratable acidity, microbiological changes.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.23 no.1 s.53
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• pp.1-7
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• 1999

Photosynthetic rates and leaf bleaching were measured under light of far-red, red, orange, green, blue and white in order to clarify the effect of light qualities on photosynthesis in Panax species, P. ginseng and P. quinquefolium. Photosynthetic rate of P. ginseng and P. quinquifolium showed higher in the order under the light of red > orange > blue > white > green. Degree of leaf bleaching in P. quinquifolium showed severer in the order under the light of far-red > red > white > blue > orange > green. These suggest that shading material with blue or orange color is good for ginseng growth. As for the effect of temperature, the photosynthesis was increased with increasing temperature untill $25^{\circ}C$ and thereafter decreased. Therefore, it was clarified that the optimum temperature for photosynthesis of P. ginseng and P. quinquefolium was $25^{\circ}C$. And the dark respiration rate of ginseng leaf also increased with increasing air temperature. Especially, the dark respiration rate increased by $80\%$ for P. ginseng and by $73\%$ for P.quinquefolium at above $30^{\circ}C$ as compared with $25^{\circ}C$. In general, the photosynthesis rate was higher in P. quinquifolium than in P. ginseng and ranged from 3.54 to 4.04 mg $(CO_2{\cdot}dm^{-2}{\cdot}hr^{-1})$ for P. quinquefolium and from 2.08 to 2.59 mg$(CO_2{\cdot}dm^{-2}{\cdot}hr^{-1})$ for P. ginseng.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.370-373
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• 2013

Korean ginseng has been used for thousands of years as an important medicinal plant. Lime-Bordeaux mixture (LBM) was made with copper sulfate and quicklime, which was sprayed instead of pesticides in ginseng field. Net photosynthesis ($P_N$) was compared between Treatment and Non-treatment of LBM in 3 Year Old Ginseng. $P_N$ in control plot recorded $2.94{\mu}mol\;(CO_2)\;m^{-2}s^{-1}$ at the first day of experiment, which was similar until the last day of experiment. However, The $P_N$ in LBM recorded $2.23{\mu}mol\;(CO_2)\;m^{-2}s^{-1}$, which was lower than that in control plot. As time goes by, The $P_N$ in LBM was gradually increased up to $3.21{\mu}mol\;(CO_2)\;m^{-2}s^{-1}$ and finally, it was similar with that in control plot at 7th day as a $3.20{\mu}mol\;(CO_2)\;m^{-2}s^{-1})$.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.212-218
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• 2009

Triterpenoid saponins were synthesized in Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer via the isoprenoid pathway by cyclization of 2,3-oxidosqualene to give primarily oleanane (beta-amyrin) or dammarane triterpenoid skeletons. The triterpenoids are backbone and undergoes various modifications (oxidation, substitution and glycosylation), mediated by cytochrome P450 (CYP)-dependent monooxygenases, glycosyltransferase and other enzymes. This is likely to be due in part to the complexity of the molecules and the lack of pathway intermediates for biochemical studies. A cDNA clone encoding a putative CYP gene was isolated from flower bud of ginseng and transformed into the plant(Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi) and confirmed by PCR analysis. The CYP gene (PgCYP) contained an open reading frame(ORF) encoding mature protein of 500 amino acids. The expression of PgCYP were investigated in transgenic tobacco by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.362-372
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• 2020

Background: The non-saponin fraction of Korean Red Ginseng has been reported to have many biological activities. However, the effect of this fraction on anti-diabetic activity has not been elucidated in detail. In this study, we investigated the effects of KGC05P0, a non-saponin fraction of Korean Red Ginseng, on anti-diabetic activity in vitro and in vivo. Methods: We measured the inhibition of commercially obtained α-glucosidase and α-amylase activities in vitro and measured the glucose uptake and transport rate in Caco-2 cells. C57BL/6J mice and C57BLKS/J^db/db (diabetic) mice were fed diets with or without KGC05P0 for eight weeks. To perform the experiments, the groups were divided as follows: normal control (C57BL/6J mice), db/db control (C57BLKS/J^db/db mice), positive control (inulin 400 mg/kg b.w.), low (KGC05P0 100 mg/kg b.w.), medium (KGC05P0 200 mg/kg b.w.), and high (KGC05P0 400 mg/kg b.w.). Results: KGC05P0 inhibited α-glucosidase and α-amylase activities in vitro, and decreased glucose uptake and transport rate in Caco-2 cells. In addition, KGC05P0 regulated fasting glucose level, glucose tolerance, insulin, HbA1c, carbonyl contents, and proinflammatory cytokines in blood from diabetic mice and significantly reduced urinary glucose excretion levels. Moreover, we found that KGC05P0 regulated glucose production by down-regulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway, which inhibited gluconeogenesis. Conclusion: Our study thereby demonstrated that KGC05P0 exerted anti-diabetic effects through inhibition of glucose absorption and the PI3K/AKT pathway in in vitro and in vivo models of diabetes. Our results suggest that KGC05P0 could be developed as a complementary food to help prevent T2DM and its complications.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.127-134
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• 2008

This study was carried out to investigate the changes of ginsenosides composition in Korean red ginseng water extract (RGWE) after heated with high temperatures above $100^{\circ}C$. RGWEs were adjusted with pH 3.0, pH 7.0 and pH 10.0, respectively, and then heated at 100,110 and $120^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes by using autoclave. Total ginsenosides of RGWE treated with heating showed decreasing tendency when compared with control. By TLC analysis, decreasing effect of ginsenosides in RGWE were significantly observed in the acidic condition of pH 3.0, particulary. By HPLC analysis, total ginsenoside of control showed 1.89%, while those of RGWE treated with 100, 110 and $120^{\circ}C$ showed 1.22, 1.05 and 0.97%, respectively. The ratio of protopanaxadiol (PD) to protopanaxatriol (Pr) saponins in control was 1.89, while that of PD/PT in treated RGWEs were level of 1.33 to 1.47. By the result of decreased ratio of PD/PT in RGWE, it was considered that PD type saponin such as ginsenoside$-Rb_{1}$, $-Rb_{1}$, -Rc and -Rd was more unstable than PT type saponin such as ginsenoside-Re and Rg against high temperature heating above $100^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.176-184
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• 2016

Background: Wild ginseng, Panax ginseng Meyer, is an endangered species of medicinal plants. In the present study, we analyzed variations within the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) cluster to gain insight into the genetic diversity of the Oriental ginseng, P. ginseng, at artificial plant cultivation. Methods: The roots of wild P. ginseng plants were sampled from a nonprotected natural population of the Russian Far East. The slides were prepared from leaf tissues using the squash technique for cytogenetic analysis. The 18S rDNA sequences were cloned and sequenced. The distribution of nucleotide diversity, recombination events, and interspecific phylogenies for the total 18S rDNA sequence data set was also examined. Results: In mesophyll cells, mononucleolar nuclei were estimated to be dominant (75.7%), while the remaining nuclei contained two to four nucleoli. Among the analyzed 18S rDNA clones, 20% were identical to the 18S rDNA sequence of P. ginseng from Japan, and other clones differed in one to six substitutions. The nucleotide polymorphism was more expressed at the positions 440-640 bp, and distributed in variable regions, expansion segments, and conservative elements of core structure. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed conspecificity of ginseng plants cultivated in different regions, with two fixed mutations between P. ginseng and other species. Conclusion: This study identified the evidences of the intragenomic nucleotide polymorphism in the 18S rDNA sequences of P. ginseng. These data suggest that, in cultivated plants, the observed genome instability may influence the synthesis of biologically active compounds, which are widely used in traditional medicine.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.198-204
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• 2007

The objectives of this study were to determine the quality characteristics, antioxidant activity, and cytotoxicity of fermented ginseng wine at each fermentation step. In the first mash with and without ginseng, viable cell counts (total cell, lactic acid bacteria, and yeast) were maximum between 2 to 4 days of fermentation. At the beginning of fermentation, Brix and ethanol contents, and titratable acidity increased, while pH decreased rapidly. At 3 days of fermentation of the second mash with ginseng, the viable cell counts were similar to those without ginseng and then continually decreased. At the end of fermentation, the pH of the second mash with ginseng was 4.00, lower than the pH of the second mash without ginseng, which was 4.35. Alcohol contents of second mashes with and without ginseng were 12.2 and 11.8%, respectively. In the aging period of ginseng and rice wines, the pH, titratable acidity, Brix, and ethanol contents did not change markedly. The results of sensory evaluation showed that fermented ginseng wine had good flavor and high acceptability. In the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity assay, fermented ginseng wine ($IC_{50}$: 0.394 mg/mL) showed higher antioxidant activity than fermented rice wine ($IC_{50}$: 0.884 mg/mL). The butanol fraction of fermented ginseng wine exhibited weak cytotoxic activity against P388 and HeLa cell lines.