• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.209-218
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• 1981

Free fatty acid and total saponin, which were extracted from the spent media and colony of the strain Phizopus delemar Rh-1, were qualitatively examined by GLC and spectroscopic methods and compared with these of intact ginseng media. The 18, 18, and 14 free fatty acids were respectively identified from the control, spent media and colony. Among them, $iC_{12:0},\;C_{16:2},\;C_{17:0},\;C_{18:3}\; and\;C_{20:0}$ acids were not detectable from the colony. In add ition, $C_{16:2}\;and\;C_{20:0}$ peaks were rot found in the spent media and control, respectively. The isible absorption spectra of free fatty acids and total saponins in the control, spent media and colony were invariable. In contrast, however, the infrared and ultraviolet absorption spectra showed significant spectral variations, particularly in the it finger-print region, demonstrating that the ginseng components were considerably utilized by the strain Rhizopus delemar Rh-1.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.578-585
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• 2012

Cytokines released from innate immune cells play key roles in the regulation of the immune response. Red Ginseng (RG, steamed and dried root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) is known to show different pharmacological effects by changed composition of saponins compared with Panax Ginseng. In this study, we examined the immunomodulatory effects of RG on the regulation of cytokine release in mice. RG was injected i.p at doses of 0.5, 5 and 50 mg/kg for 6 weeks. We assessed that the weight index of immune organs such as thymus, and spleen, and the mitogen blastogenesis of splenocytes. We also determined the levels of circulating cytokines in serum from RG-treated mice using ELISA assay. The weight index of thymus and spleen, and proliferation of mitogen response of splenocytes have increased in the RG-injected groups. In addition, the levels of IFN-${\gamma}$, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-6, IL-12 and IL-2 concentrations have significantly increased in the serum of RG-treated mice, but that of IL-10 has not. These results suggest that RG has immune stimulating effects and could be useful as a immunoregulator of circulating cytokine release in vivo.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.80-87
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• 2011

Panax ginseng has been used as a traditional medicine for several centuries in Korea. A laboratory experiment using methanol extracts of freeze-dried leaves and roots in the different ages of P. ginseng was conducted to determine the content of phenolics and flavonoids, antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity. The results indicate that the total phenolics level [mg ferulic acid equivalents (FAE) $kg^{-1}$ DW] was higher in leaves (22.0 to 76.3 mg $kg^{-1}$) than roots (19.0 to 28.3 mg $kg^{-1}$) of P. ginseng. The total content of phenolics in roots increased with increase in age of P. ginseng from one to six years. However, the content of phenolics in P. ginseng leaf decreased with the increase in age. Total flavonoid [mg naringin equivalents $kg^{-1}$ DW] was more detected in the leaves (30.3 to 138.6 mg $kg^{-1}$) than in the roots (0.0 to 10.6 mg $kg^{-1}$) of P. ginseng. The total flavonoid level in leaves decreased with increase in age of P. ginseng. The antioxidant potential of the methanol extracts from the plants dose-dependently increased. DPPH free radical scavenging activity was higher in leaves (36.9 to 82.8%) than in roots (14.8 to 39.4%), and in young plants than in old ones. According to 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, the methanol extracts from 5 year-root part showed the highest cytotoxicity against Calu-6, followed by 2 year- and 3 year-roots. However, the methanol extracts from 6 year- and 4 year-roots had lower cytotoxicity. Total phenolics content in both leaves and roots was highly correlated with the DPPH radical scavenging ($r^2=0.7366$ to 0.7870) and nitrite scavenging ($r^2=0.5604$ to 0.8794) activities, suggesting that they contribute to the antioxidant properties of the P. ginseng plants.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.627-636
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• 2020

Background: Cultivation of medicinal crops, which synthesize hundreds of substances for curative functions, was focused on the synthesis of secondary metabolites rather than biomass accumulation. Nutrition is an important restrict factor for plant growth and secondary metabolites, but little attention has been given to the plasticity of nutrient uptake and secondary metabolites synthesis response to soil nitrogen (N) change. Methods: Two year-field experiments of Sanqi (Panax notoginseng), which can synthesize a high level of saponin in cells, were conducted to study the effects of N application on the temporal dynamics of biomass, nutrient absorption, root architecture and the relationships between these parameters and saponin synthesis. Results: Increasing N fertilizer rates could improve the dry matter yields and nutrient absorption ability through increasing the maximum daily growth (or nutrient uptake) rate. Under suitable N level (225 kg/ha N), Sanqi restricted the root length and surface and enhanced the root diameter and N uptake rate per root length (NURI) to promote nutrient absorption, but the opposite status of Sanqi root architecture and NURI was found when soil N was deficient. Furthermore, increasing N rates could promote the accumulation of saponin in roots through improving the NURI, which showed a significant positive relationship with the content of saponin in the taproots. Conclusion: Appropriate N fertilizer rates could optimize both root architecture and nutrient uptake efficiency, then promote both the accumulation of dry matter and the synthesis of saponins.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.168-186
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• 1979

Three hundred gram of Korean ginseng root was extracted with 95% ethanol on a boiling water bath for about 300 hr. Evaporation of alcohol yieled 50.2g of dark brown residue which was used by dissolving 4 mg of the residue in 1 ml of physiological saline. The ginseng group and the saline group received each day 0.5 ml per 100 g body weight of ginseng extract and physiological saline, respectively. Both the ginseng and saline group with stress were exposed to positive radial acceleration (1∼29g), cold (5$^{\circ}C$, 0$^{\circ}C$ &-10$^{\circ}C$) and heat (35$^{\circ}C$) environment, and surgical stress. After termination of the last stress, the tolerance, body weight, visceral organ weight, basal metabolism rate, rectal temperature, the number of erythrocyte and leucocyte, hemoglobin level, hematocrit ratio, total serum protein content and it's fraction and the content of adrenal ascorbic acid in the experimental animal exposed to stress were measured and at the corresponding periods, the same measurements were also carried out with the ginseng and the saline groups without stress exposure (serving as control). Results obtained were as follows. 1. Administration of ginseng does depressed the decrease of the tolerance, body weight, visceral organ weight, basal metabolism rate, the number of erythrocyte, hemoglobin value, hematocrit ratio and the A/G ratio in the mice and rats exposed to various stress. 2. The change of the rectal temperature, eosinophile counts, total serum protein content and the content of adrenal ascorbic acid of ginseng group that exposured to various stress facilitates the reaction to, and accelerates the recovery from the stress. 3. Even after hypophysectomy which served the link between the central and the peripheral portion of the stress mechanism, the adrenal ascorbic acid content of ginseng group decreased significantly more than that of the saline group 30 min. after administration of ACTH, while the value approached the normal level significantly closer in the ginseng group than in the saline group 1 and 2 hr after ACTH administration. Judging from the above results, it is concluded that administration of ginseng extract tolerated the experimental animals under the environment of stressfu1 stmuli, although the ginseng has no significant influence upon the stress mechanism in the absence of stressful stimuli. The site of action of the ginseng appears to be in the peripheral portion of the stress mechanism.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Biotechnology Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.88-94
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• 2005

Plant tissue culture studies have been done for the preservation of medicinal plant resources and efficient production of pharmaceutically important secondary metabolites. Micropropagation methods for Cephaelis ipecacuanha have been established and these methods enabled much more efficient propagation of the plants than the conventional methods using seedling or layering. The C. ipecacuanha plants derived from tissue culture grew uniformly in the field and they showed higher alkaloid contents compared to the plants grown from seedlings. Hairy root cultures of C. ipecacuanha and Panax ginseng have been established by infection with Agrobacterium rhizogenes, and the production of important pharmaceuticals by these cultures have been successfully demonstrated. In the case of C. ipecacuanha, the highest alkaloid yields from the hairy roots cultured for 8 weeks were 2.75-fold cephaeline (5.5 mg) and one third emetine (0.7 mg) compared with those from the roots of one-year old plant propagated through shoot-tip culture and cultivated in a greenhouse (2.0 mg cephaeline and 2.0 mg emetine). In the case of P. ginseng, ginsenoside contents in the hairy roots optimally cultured for 4 weeks were much higher than those in the roots of 4-year old field-grown plant. Thus our medicinal plant tissue cultures demonstrate desirable properties. However, they are always exposed to danger of microbial contamination or unexpected trouble of culture facilities. Cryopreservation of plant tissue cultures is a reliable method for long-term preservation. Cryopreservation studies on these cultures are also presented.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.205-210
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• 1999

The growth of hairy roots were increased $69\%$ by 0.1 mM DCPIP under light conditions. In these conditions, the contents of seven ginsenosides were none significant variation. The influence of electron inhibitors on growth and ginsenoside contents in ginseng hairy roots was tested. The growth was inhibited $71\%\;and\;22\%$ respectively by CCCP and methylamine. The ginsenoside contents were as decreased above $45\%$ in all treatment tested except triazine treatment. In antioxidants treatment, the growth of hairy roots was increased about $68\%$ by propylgallic acid, about $23\~25\%$ by ascorbic acid or 2,5-dimethylfuran, while the contents of seven ginsenosides were none significant variation. The ginsenoside productivity was high when hairy roots were cultured in $\circledR^{\wedge}MS$ medium for 4 weeks and then transferred to 1/2MS medium with ascorbic acid or 2,5-dimethylfuran for 1 weeks in light conditions. It is suggested that ginsenoside productivity could be accelerated by some antioxidants in hairy root cultures of ginseng.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.107-112
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• 2000

One of the physiologically important ginseng diseases is red-colored phenomena (RCP) that is caused by accumulation of red-colored substances on the epidermis of ginseng roots. Although RCP severely deteriorates the quality of ginseng products, there has been little information on what red-colored substance is and how RCP occurs. Therefore, the heavy losses of cultivators and ginseng industry are suffering by RCP, For this reason, we have investigated with the morphochernical characteristics of RCP to find out main cause of it. The red-colored substances (RS) on the epidermis of red-colored ginseng (RCG) were examined using inverted light microscope, confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM)and furier transform infrared (FT/IR) spectrometer. Red brown substances were accumulated in the cell wall of the epidermis from early stage to late stage of RCC. Especially, cell wall of the late stage of RCG was covered with the sub-stances with 80~ 130 fm thick. Therefore, the cell wall of RCG cannot protect the ginseng root cells from the mechanical damages, bacteria and fungi. To analyse red substances of roots, RS were isolated from epidermis of RCG and extracted using various solvents. RS is strongly insoluble but it was bleached by oxidizing agents including 12% (v/v) NaOCl. Therefore, RS was Presumed to make up of high chelation power. The proriles of FT/IR spectra or both healthy ginseng (HEG) and RCG showed a significant difference at two wavelength,2857 cm$\^$-1/(C-H) and 1032 cm$\^$-1/(S=O), respectively. Furthermore, absorption peak of 2857cm$\^$-l/ appears on the only epidermis of RCG. The other peak is shown lower absorption rate on the epidermis of RCG than that of healthy ginseng. Also, FT/IR spectra of the mixture of carboxym-ethylcellulose (CMC) and iron (Fe$\^$3+/) were very similar to RCG spectrum profiles. One of a interesting fact is that the contents of phenolic compounds at the epidermis of healthy ginseng were highest. The results of these experiments sup-port the RCP was closely related with the chemical interaction between inorganic elements (Fe) of rhizosphere and organic matters (cellulose, cellobiose, cell sap, etc.) of ginseng roots.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.198-206
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• 2015

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of sowing density, number of seeds sown per hole, and thinning treatment on growth characteristics and disease occurrence in Panax ginseng under direct sowing cultivation in a blue plastic greenhouse. Seedling were grown from 2 or 3 seeds sown, and the healthiest was only retained, while the rest were thinned out at the foliation stage. $NO_3$-N, $P_2O_5$, and organic matter content differed significantly between growth conditions in the plastic greenhouse and in conventional shade in the soil. Disease also tended to be higher in the conventional shade than in the plastic greenhouse. Plant height and stem length showed an increasing trend with increasing sowing density and number of seeds sown per hole. However, these measures noticeably decreased when thinning treatment was conducted. Growth of the subterranean part of ginseng was not markedly influenced by sowing density, the number of seeds sown per hole, or thinning treatment. Root weight, which is an important factor in yield, was significantly affected by the number of seeds sown and thinning treatment. Interestingly, root weight tended to be higher in the thinning treatment plot than the untreated control plot. Damping-off and root rot increased noticeably as the number of seeds sown increased. Disease also tended to be substantially higher in the thinning treatment plot than the untreated control. However, physiological disorder of the plants did not vary with sowing density, the number of seeds sown, or thinning treatment.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.279-282
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• 2008

This study was conducted to compare the aerial parts growth, yield of fresh ginseng roots, quality of red ginseng roots, and photosynthesis (Fv/Fm, PSII) in leaves between non-irrigation plot and furrow irrigation plot during the ginseng growing seasons. The aerial part growth in furrow irrigation plot was higher than non-irrigation plot in all including the emergency rate, leafing rate and relatively growth rate. Root yield per 10a in irrigation plot was increased about 50% as compared with that of non-irrigation, also heaven and earth grade of red ginseng roots yield in irrigation plot was higher (40.3%) compared with that (30.6%) of non-irrigation plot in 6-years-old ginseng plant. Furrow irrigation markedly improved the ginseng quality and yield in comparison to non irrigation condition. Therefore it needs to control the soil moisture during the growing season for high yield and good qualities of ginseng roots.