• 약학회지
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.113-119
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• 2002

The composition of monosaccharides of acidic polysaccharide isolated from ethanol-insoluble and water-soluble fractions of red ginseng roots was analysed and its immunological activities were investigated. Red ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP) was composed of glucose (26.1 mole %), arabinose (1.6 mole %), glucuroninc acid (51.8 mol %) and galacturonic acid (5.1 mole %) as determined by gas liquid chromatography. Addition of RGAP increased production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-$\alpha$ in the rodent macrophage cultures. Peritoneal macrophages from RGAP-treated mice exhibited potent tumoricidal activities toward P815 and WEHI 164 tumor cells. It was also observed that concentrations of NO and TNF-$\alpha$ were high in the culture medium of macrophages from the mice administered with RGAP. Moreover, treatment of RGAP in vivo stimulated tumoricidal activities of natural killer (NK) cells. Treatment with RGAP increased life span of sarcoma 180-bearing mice and decreased tumor weights of B16-tumor-bearing mice. These results suggest that activation of macrophages and NK cells serve to enhance in vivo anticancer activities of RGAP.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.31-35
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• 2000

Effects of red ginseng acidic polysaccharides (RGAP) on immune system were studied. The proliferation of spleen cells was induced by RGAP treatment per se. Cotreatment of lipopolysaccharide $(100\;{\mu}g/ml)$ or concanavalin A $(1\;{\mu}g/ml)$ with RGAP further stimulated the spleen cell proliferation. BALB/c mice treated with RGAP showed a slight splenic hyperplasia and increased antibody forming cell response to sheep red blood cells. Flow cytometry analysis revealed an influx of macrophages in the mice treated with RGAP.

• 한국식품영양과학회지
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• 제32권5호
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• pp.752-757
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• 2003

홍삼으로부터 홍삼알콜 추출물을 제조하고 부산물로 생성된 홍삼추출잔사로부터 한외 여과를 이용하여 홍삼산성다당체(RGAP, red ginseng acidic polysaccharide)를 대량으로 분리할 수 있는 방법을 개발하였다. 본 방법으로 홍삼추출잔사로부터 분리된 RGAP의 수율은 20.9%이었고, RGAP로부터 지표성분인 활성성분(GFP)의 분리수율은 39.4%이었다. 분리된 RGAP는 macrophage에 의한 NO(nitric oxide)를 생성하여 암세포를 사멸시키는 것으로 나타났다. RGAP를 BALB/c 마우스에 복강투여한 후 분리된 복강 macrophage를 P815 암세포(mastocytoma)와 함께 배양하였을 때 배지내의 NO 농도는 대조군에서 4.3 $\mu\textrm{m}$이었으나, RGAP 100, 300 mg/kg 투여군에서는 각각 9.8 및 25.3$\mu\textrm{m}$로 증가하는 경향을 나타내었다. 아울러 암세포인 P8l5세포의 사멸율도 정상대조군일 경우 7.3%이었으나 RGAP 100, 300 mg/kg 투여군에서는 각각 22.7 및 31.8%로 증가하는 경향을 나타내었다. RGAP을 2M의 TFA로 10$0^{\circ}C$에서 1시간 가수분해한 후 당 표준품과 TLC로 비교한 결과 당 표준품과 Rf치 및 발색 색깔이 일치하는 4개의 spot, 즉 rhamnose(Rf 0.78, 노란색 ), glucose(Rf 0.61, 녹색), galactose(Rf 0.56, 녹색), glucuronic acid(Rf 0.36, 황갈색)를 관찰할 수 있었다. 가수분해된 RGAP 분해산물을 Gl(glucose)부터 G7(maltoheptaose)까지의 당류와 함께 TLC를 행한 결과 진한 색상을 나타내는 spot은 Rf 0.56~0.61로 G2(maltose, Rf 0.46) 이상의 단당류(monosaccharide)인 것으로 나타났다. RGAP의 일부 이화학적 특성을 조사한 결과 pH는 4.74, 건조감량은 4.72%, 조단백질 함량은 3.30%, 회분은 4.74%이었고 중금속인 Pb는 2.30 ppm이었다.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.99-103
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• 2009

The in-vitro immunomodulatory function of murine natural-killer (NK) cells induced by red-ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP) in ovariectomized (OVX) rats was examined in this study. The IL-2-induced NK cell activity was significantly decreased in the OVX rats compared to the sham groups, but the normally induced NK cell activity was not. RGAP, however, increased the NK cell activity in both groups, and this effect involved iNOS expression. The inhibition of iNOS activity did not increase the NK cell cytotoxicity by RGAP in the OVX rats. The data that were obtained also demonstrated that the expression of iNOS was increased in the spleen of the OVX rats. These results indicate that RGAP increases the tumoricidal activity of the NK cell in the OVX rats, which is a primed or activated state of innate immune cells resulting from the changes in cytokine production induced by estrogen-deficient stress. Therefore, RGAP has a synergistic effect on the NK cell activities, which are regulated by the iNOS signals in OVX rats. This suggests that RGAP is useful for potential therapeutic strategies as a nutrient in regulating the NK cells in OVX rats.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.173-180
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• 2003

The present study was conducted to investigate the single and 2-week repeated dose toxicity of red ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP) in Sprague-Dawley rats. The test article was administered orally to rats at dose levels of 0, and 2000 mg/kg/day for single dose toxicity study and at dose levels of 0, 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg/day for repeated dose toxicity study. In both studies, there were no treatment-related effects on mortality, clinical signs, food and water consumption, ophthalmoscopy, urinalysis, hematology, serum biochemistry, necropsy findings and organ weights of all animals treated RGAP. Based on these results, it was concluded that the 2-week repeated oral dose of RGAP may have no toxic effect in rats at a dose level of 1000 mg/kg/day. In the condition of this study, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) was considered to be 1000 mg/kg/day for both sexes.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.73-78
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• 2008

Red ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP), isolated from Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer), has been shown to have a variety of biological functions such as immunostimulating and anti-tumor activities. In the present study, we investigated whether RGAP inhibited ligand-induced platelet aggregation. The washed platelet-rich plasma was prepared from male SD rats with successive centrifugation. The platelets $(10^8/ml)$ were preincubated with 1 mM of $CaCl_2$ for 2 min either in the presence or in the absence of RGAP $(10{\sim}50\;{\mu}g/ml)$ and were stimulated with collagen (2.5 ${\mu}g/ml$) and thrombin (0.1 U/ml). RGAP dose-dependently inhibited thrombin-induced platelet aggregation with $IC_{50}$ value of $26.2{\pm}2.0$ ${\mu}g/ml$. In collagen-induced platelet aggregation, RGAP inhibited the reaction with an $IC_{50}$ value of $31.5{\pm}3.0\;{\mu}g/ml$. RGAP potently suppressed the intracellular calcium ion, which was stimulated by thrombin (0.1 U/ ml). Among mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) subtypes, the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and p38 MAPK were analyzed in the present study. RGAP inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK2 and p38 MAPK, which was activated by collagen (2.5 ${\mu}g/ml$). Finally, these results suggested that besides saponin fraction, RGAP take an important role in the preventive effect of Korean red ginseng against cardiovascular disease such as thrombosis and atherosclerosis.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제10권6호
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• pp.284-288
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• 2004

We have recently reported that red ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP), isolated from Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer), showed immunomodulatory antitumor activities, mainly mediated by nitric oxide (NO) production by macrophage. In this study, we examined the effect of RGAP on anticancer activity using lung carcinoma 3LL, sarcoma 180 and adenocarcinoma JC tumor cells transplanted into mice as well as antimetastatic activity using B16-F10 melanoma. When RGAP (300 mg/kg) were treated to mice implanted with one of the three kinds of tumor cells, the tumor weight significantly decreased compared with control mice. Tumor inhibition ratios of RGAP (300 mg/kg) in mice transplanted with lung carcinoma 3LL, sarcoma 180 and adenocarcinoma JC cells were 26.8%, 29.3% and 31.6%, respectively. Hundred mg/kg of RGAP did not cause a significant decrease in tumor weight compared with control group. When RGAP was administered i.p. with the dose of 100 and 300 mg/kg in B16-F10 melanoma-bearing mice, lung metastasis were reduced significantly in mice. Corrected phagocytic index was also remarkably increased by RGAP. These results suggest that stimulation of phagocytic activity of macrophages may be a mechanism for in vivo anticancer and antimetastasis activities of RGAP.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.176-181
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• 2005

Our previous reports demonstrated that ip. administration of Korean red ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP) exerts antitumor activity In mice. The present study was carried out to compare the effects of ip. and p.o. routes of administration of RGAP on either normal or tumor-bearing BALB/c mice. RGAP was administered either ip. or p.o. at doses of 100, 300, 500, 1000 mg/kg for 1 or 5 weeks. Peritoneal macrophages from mice treated with RGAP p.o. at a dose of 300 mg/kg either for 1 or 5 weeks did not exhibit growth inhibition activity toward WEHI-I64 tumor cells. However, administration of RGAP at a dose of 600 mg/kg for both 1 and 5 weeks increased the antitumor activity of macrophages. Oral administration of RGAP (600 mg/kg) for 5 weeks and ip. administration of RGAP (300 mg/kg) for 1 week resulted in antitumor activities of $40\%$ and $45\%$, respectively, indicating that the effect of i.p. injection is more potent 2 and 5 times than that of p.o. one in terms of dose and duration, respectively. Tumor inhibition rates of RGAP at doses of 300, 500, 1000 mg/kg in mice transplanted with B16-F10 melanoma were 4.4, 12.0, and $45.4\%$, respectively, meaning that p.o. dose higher than 500 mg/kg possess marked antitumor activity. The results above suggests that p.o. administration of RGAP also show antitumor activity in vivo depending on the dose.

• 고려인삼학회:학술대회논문집
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• 고려인삼학회 2002년도 학술대회지
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• pp.266-276
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• 2002

A red ginseng acidic polysaccharide(RGAP) with immunomodulating antitumor activities was isolated from Korean red ginseng, The molecular weight of RGAP was estimated to be 12-450 kDa by gel filtration chromatography, RGAP was found to increase survival rate and to inhibit of tumor growth significantly in a dose dependent manner in mice transplanted with tumor cells. RGAP significantly promoted nitric oxide(NO) production from peritoneal macrophages bothin vivo and in vitro. Western blot analysis exhibited a newly synthesized inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) protein band in the RGAP treated group. It seems likely that immunomodulating antitumor activities of RGAP are mainly mediated by NO production of macrophage. RGAP was further purified by ultrafiltration and anion exchange chromatography on DEAE-sepharose, followed by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300 to give an active fraction(GFP) with stronger NO production in murine macrophages. GFP increased survival rate ten times compared to RGAP in male ICR mice transplanted with sarcoma 180 and also showed more potent tumoricidal activities of natural killer cells than RGAP. Sugar $composition(mol\%)$ of GFP was found to be arabinose:rhamnose:xylose:galacturonic acid:mannose:galactose:glucose(10:9:1:25:8:20:27) by GC/MS. The results suggest that clinical trials of RGAP in immunotherapy against cancer are highly feasible.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.47-51
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• 2003

Sarcoma 180 암세포를 이식한 마우스에서 면역조절 작용을 갖는 홍삼산성다당체 (RGAP)를 항암제 cyclophosphamide (CY)와 병용투여한 결과, RGAP (100 mg/kg)와 CY (3 mg/kg)의 병용투여는 고용량의 CY (10 mg/kg) 단독투여보다 강한 항암작용을 나타내었다. 또한 RGAP (100 mg/kg)과 CY (10 또는 20 mg/kg)과의 병용투여는 CY의 단독투여보다 LL/2 폐종양을 보다 강하게 억제하였다. RGAP (100 mg/kg) 와 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (2.5 mg/kg)을 병용투여하였을 때도 sarcoma 180 암세포를 이식한 마우스에서 5-FU 단독투여군에 비해 현저한 항암시너지 효과를 나타내었다. LL2 폐 종양에 미치는 결과에서도 RGAP (100 mg/kg)와 5-FU (5 또는 10 mg/kg) 병용투여군은 항암제 단독투여군보다 강한 항종양 효과를 나타내었다. 이상의 결과로부터 RGAP는 항암제 CY 또는 5-FU와 병용투여시 sarcoma 180 및 LL/2 폐종양에 대해서 저용량 항암제의 사용으로 고용량의 항암제 사용에서와 유사한 항암효과를 나타낼 수 있어서 항암효과를 극대화 시킬뿐만아니라 항암제 사용에 의한 면역독성과 같은 부작용을 경감시킬 수 있는 항암치료 보조제로서의 사용가능성을 제시하였다.