• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.488-495
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• 2019

Background: Timosaponin AIII (TA3) is a steroidal saponin extracted from Anemarrhena asphodeloides. Here, we investigated the anticancer effects of TA3 in MG63 human osteosarcoma cells. TA3 attenuates migration and invasion of MG63 cells via regulations of two matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), MMP-2 and MMP-9, which are involved with cancer metastasis in various cancer cells. TA3 reduced enzymatic activities and transcriptional expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in MG63 cells. TA3 also inhibited Src, focal adhesion kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, ${\beta}-catenin$, and cAMP response element binding signaling, which regulate migration and invasion of cells. TA3 induced apoptosis of MG63 cells via regulations of caspase-3, caspase-7, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Then, we tested several ginsenosides to be used in combination with TA3 for the synergistic anticancer effects. We found that ginsenosides Rb1 and Rc have synergistic effects on TA3-induced apoptosis in MG63 cells. Methods: We investigated the anticancer effects of TA3 and synergistic effects of various ginseng saponins on TA3-induced apoptosis in MG63 cells. To test antimetastatic effects, we performed wound healing migration assay, Boyden chamber invasion assays, gelatin zymography assay, and Western blot analysis. Annexin V/PI staining apoptosis assay was performed to determine the apoptotic effect of TA3 and ginsenosides. Results: TA3 attenuated migration and invasion of MG63 cells and induced apoptosis of MG63 cells. Ginsenosides Rb1 and Rc showed the synergistic effects on TA3-induced apoptosis in MG63 cells. Conclusions: The results strongly suggest that the combination of TA3 and the two ginsenosides Rb1 and Rc may be a strong candidate for the effective antiosteosarcoma agent.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.477-479
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• 2018

A Gram-positive, rod-shaped, ivory colored, and motile, Lactobacillus koreensis 26-25 was isolated from Korean kimchi. Strain 26-25 showed the ability of conversion from major ginsenosides into minor ginsenosides for which whole genome was sequenced. The whole genome sequence of Lactobacillus koreensis 26-25 consisted of one circular chromosome comprised of 3,006,812 bp, with a DNA G + C content of 49.23%. The whole genome analysis of strain 26-25 showed many glycosides hydrolase genes, which may contribute to identify the genes responsible for transformation of major ginsenosides into minor ginsenosides for its high pharmacological effects.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.296-303
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• 2022

Background: Skin microbiota is important for maintenance of skin homeostasis; however, its disturbance may cause an increase in pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, we aimed to develop a red ginseng formulation that can selectively promote beneficial bacteria. Methods: The effects of red ginseng formulation on microorganism growth were analyzed by comparing the growth rates of Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, and Cutibacterium acnes. Various preservatives mixed with red ginseng formulation were evaluated to determine the ideal composition for selective growth promotion of S. epidermidis. Red ginseng formulation with selected preservative was loaded into a biocompatible polymer mixture and applied to the faces of 20 female subjects in the clinical trial to observe changes in the skin microbiome. Results: Red ginseng formulation promoted the growth of S. aureus and S. epidermidis compared to fructooligosaccharide. When 1,2-hexanediol was applied with red ginseng formulation, only S. epidermidis showed selective growth. The analysis of the release rates of ginsenoside-Rg1 and -Re revealed that the exact content of Pluronic F-127 was around 11%. The application of hydrogel resulted in a decrease in C. acnes in all subjects. In subjects with low levels of S. epidermidis, the distribution of S. epidermidis was significantly increased with the application of hydrogel formulation and total microbial species of subjects decreased by 50% during the clinical trial. Conclusion: We confirmed that red ginseng formulation with 1,2-hexanediol can help maintain skin homeostasis through improvement of skin microbiome.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.211-219
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• 2024

Background: Recently, plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PDENs) have been isolated, and active research was focusing on understanding their properties and functions. In this study, the characteristics and molecular properties of ginseng root-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (GrDENs) were examined in terms of skin protection. Methods: HPLC-MS protocols were used to analyze the ginsenoside contents in GrDENs. To investigate the beneficial effect of GrDENs on skin, HaCaT cells were pre-treated with GrDENs (0-2 × 10⁹ particles/mL), and followed by UVB irradiation or H₂O₂ exposure. In addition, the antioxidant activity of GrDENs was measured using a fluorescence microscope or flow cytometry. Finally, molecular mechanisms were examined with immunoblotting analysis. Results: GrDENs contained detectable levels of ginsenosides (Re, Rg1, Rb1, Rf, Rg2 (S), Gyp17, Rd, C-Mc1, C-O, and F2). In UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells, GrDENs protected cells from death and reduced ROS production. GrDENs downregulated the mRNA expression of proapoptotic genes, including BAX, caspase-1, -3, -6, -7, and -8 and the ratio of cleaved caspase-8, -9, and -3 in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, GrDENs reduced the mRNA levels of aging-related genes (MMP2 and 3), proinflammatory genes (COX-2 and IL-6), and cellular senescence biomarker p21, possibly by suppressing activator protein-1 signaling. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the protective effects of GrDENs against skin damage caused by UV and oxidative stress, providing new insights into beneficial uses of ginseng. In particular, our results suggest GrDENs as a potential active ingredient in cosmeceuticals to promote skin health.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.383-390
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• 2018

Most neurodegenerative diseases are known to be influenced by oxidative stress. We investigated the anti-oxidative activity of the concentrate of fermented wild ginseng root culture (HLJG0701) containing ginsenosides Rg5 and Rk1. HLJG0701 showed effective DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging ability ($IC_{50}$: 16- and 4-fold dilution, respectively) and was inhibited dose-dependently by the $FeSO_4$-induced lipid peroxidation group (8- and 4-fold dilution: 2.3 and 1.5 nM, respectively). In MTT and LDH assays, 8-, 16-, 32- and 64-fold diluted HLJG0701 significantly increased cell viability by 70, 53, 35, and 26%, respectively. LDH released by HLJG0701 was reduced 1.3-fold with 8-fold diluted HLJG0701 compared to the $H_2O_2$-treated control. In addition, the inhibitory effect of HLJG0701 on oxidative stress in PC12 cells was confirmed by DCF-DA analysis (16-, 4-fold diluted HLJG0701: 50 and 68% ROS inhibition, respectively), TBARS (16- and 4-fold diluted HLJG0701: 50.7 and 46.5% inhibition, respectively), GPx (16- and 4-fold diluted HLJG0701: 133.3 and 227.3% release, respectively), and SOD analysis (16- and 4-fold diluted HLJG0701: 118.2 and 218.2% release, respectively). These results suggested that HLJG0701 protects neuronal cells by its anti-oxidative effects and hence can be a potential preventive material against neurodegenerative diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.81-86
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• 1982

Ginseng saponins separated from Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography using a carbohydrate analysis column. The effect on the resolution and retention time of each ginsenosides, as well as the addition effect of n-butanol on a acetonitrile/water system, was examined using various proportions of acetonitrile/water system (80/20-94/6) which have been used with typical solvent of carbohydrate analysis column. The retention time of each ginsenosides was greatly affected by the compositions and mixture proportions of the mobile phase and also markedly increased as the proprotion of acetonitrile in mobile phase increased. It was proved that acetonitrile/water system (80/20) and acetonitrile/water/n-butanol system (86/14/10) were very effective mobile phases for diol and triol sapoin analyses, respectively. According to the result obtained by this method, the PT/PD ratios of white and red ginseng saponins were 0.401 % and 0.561 %, respectively. Red ginseng increased PT/PD ratio, compared with white ginseng. This is attributed to the change of saponin pattern by processing method and the change of PT/PD ratio would greatly influence on the biochemical and pharmacological effects of ginseng and its products.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.662-671
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• 2023

Background: 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD), a ginsenoside metabolite, has prominent benefits for the central nervous system, especially in improving learning and memory. However, its transcriptional targets in brain tissue remain unknown. Methods: In this study, we first used mass spectrometry-based drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) to identify the potential proteins of ginsenosides and intersected them with the transcription factor library. Second, the transcription factor PURA was confirmed as a target of PPD by biolayer interferometry (BLI) and molecular docking. Next, the effect of PPD on the transcriptional levels of target genes of PURA in brain tissues was determined by qRT-PCR. Finally, bioinformatics analysis was used to analyze the potential biological features of these target proteins. Results: The results showed three overlapping transcription factors between the proteomics of DARTS and transcription factor library. BLI analysis further showed that PPD had a higher direct interaction with PURA than parent ginsenosides. Subsequently, BLI kinetic analysis, molecular docking, and mutations in key amino acids of PURA indicated that PPD specifically bound to PURA. The results of qRT-PCR showed that PPD could increase the transcription levels of PURA target genes in brain. Finally, bioinformatics analysis showed that these target proteins were involved in learning and memory function. Conclusion: The above-mentioned findings indicate that PURA is a transcription target of PPD in brain, and PPD upregulate the transcription levels of target genes related to cognitive dysfunction by binding PURA, which could provide a chemical and biological basis for the study of treating cognitive impairment by targeting PURA.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.278-288
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• 2014

Background: Panax ginseng Meyer is a traditional medicinal plant famous for its strong therapeutic effects and serves as an important herbal medicine. To understand and manipulate genes involved in secondary metabolic pathways including ginsenosides, transcriptome profiling of P. ginseng is essential. Methods: RNA-seq analysis of adventitious roots of two P. ginseng cultivars, Chunpoong (CP) and Cheongsun (CS), was performed using the Illumina HiSeq platform. After transcripts were assembled, expression profiling was performed. Results: Assemblies were generated from ~85 million and ~77 million high-quality reads from CP and CS cultivars, respectively. A total of 35,527 and 27,716 transcripts were obtained from the CP and CS assemblies, respectively. Annotation of the transcriptomes showed that approximately 90% of the transcripts had significant matches in public databases.We identified several candidate genes involved in ginsenoside biosynthesis. In addition, a large number of transcripts (17%) with different gene ontology designations were uniquely detected in adventitious roots compared to normal ginseng roots. Conclusion: This study will provide a comprehensive insight into the transcriptome of ginseng adventitious roots, and a way for successful transcriptome analysis and profiling of resource plants with less genomic information. The transcriptome profiling data generated in this study are available in our newly created adventitious root transcriptome database (http://im-crop.snu.ac.kr/transdb/index.php) for public use.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.815-822
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• 2020

Background: Recently, beneficial roles of ginsenoside F2 (GF2), a minor constituent of Panax ginseng, have been demonstrated in diverse inflammatory diseases. However, its roles in alcoholic liver inflammation and injury have not been clearly understood. Here, we investigated the underlying mechanism by which GF2 ameliorated alcoholic liver injury. Methods: To induce alcoholic liver injury, C57BL/6J wild type (WT) or interleukin (IL)-10 knockout (KO) mice were orally administered with ethanol (3 g/kg) or ethanol-containing GF2 (50 mg/kg) for 2 wk. Liver injury and infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils were evaluated by serum biochemistry and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The changes of hepatic immune cells were assessed by flow cytometry and polymerase chain reaction analysis. In vitro differentiation of naïve T cells was performed. Results: GF2 treatment significantly attenuated alcoholic liver injury, in which infiltrations of inflammatory macrophages and neutrophils were decreased. Moreover, the frequencies of Foxp3⁺ regulatory T cells (Tregs) increased but IL-17-producing T (Th17) cells decreased in GF2-treated mice compared to controls. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of IL-10 and Foxp3 was significantly increased, whereas IL-17 mRNA expression was suppressed in GF2-treated mice. However, these beneficial roles of GF2 were not observed in GF2-treated IL-10 KO mice, suggesting a critical role of IL-10. Similarly, GF2 treatment suppressed differentiation of naïve T cells into Th17 cells by inhibiting RORgt expression and stimulating Foxp3 expression. Conclusion: The present study suggests that GF2 treatment attenuates alcoholic liver injury by increasing IL-10 expression and Tregs and decreasing IL-17 expression and Th17 cells.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.418-425
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• 2006

This study was conducted to evaluate extraction properties of crude saponin and ginsenosides, and their effects on sensory properties of emulsified pork sausage. Non-dried ginseng root was boiled in 0 (e.g., 100% distilled water), 20, 40, 60, 80 or 100% ethanol, and powdered by a freezing dry method. Weight of dried powder for the 0% ethanol extraction was 20% of initial non-dried ginseng weight, while $20{\sim}80%$ and 100% ethanol extractions resulted in approximately 15 and 10% of their initial weights, respectively. On the other hand, crude saponin content in the dried powder was linearly increased for a higher ethanol content where 100% ethanol extraction resulted in 123.52 mg/g. LC/MS analysis of crude saponin for quantifying ginsenosides showed that Rb1, Rb2 and Rc were significantly (p<0.05) higher levels for both 80 and 100% ethanol extractions. In the case of Rg1 ginsenoside, 60, 80 and 100% ethanol extractions resulted in significantly (p<0.05) higher levels. Emulsified pork sausages containing 0, 1 or 2% ginseng extracts were smoked or non-smoked and their sensory characteristics and preference were evaluated. Smoking process significantly (p<0.05) decreased juiciness and tenderness, but the treatment significantly (p<0.05) improved flavor and consumer preference. It was particularly noticed that a 2% addition of ginseng extract prevented the adverse effects of smoking process on juiciness and tenderness while the 2% addition significantly (p<0.05) improved consumer preference. The current results implied that addition of ginseng extract in emulsified pork sausage could improve sensory quality.