Ginsenoside
Encyclopedia
Ginsenosides are a class of steroid
glycoside
s, and triterpene
saponin
s, found exclusively in the plant genus Panax (ginseng
).
Ginsenosides have been the target of research, as they are viewed as the active compounds behind the claims of ginseng's efficacy. Because ginsenosides appear to affect multiple pathways, their effects are complex and difficult to isolate.
Ginsenosides are separated by column chromatography
. Ginsenoside content can vary widely depending on species, location of growth, and growing time before harvest.
The root, the organ most often used, contains saponin complexes. These are often split into two groups: the Rb1 group (characterized by the protopanaxadiol
presence : Rb1, Rb2, Rc and Rd) and the Rg1 group (protopanaxatriol: Rg1, Re, Rf, and Rg2).
Rb1 seems to affect the reproductive system in animal testicle
s.
Recent research shows that Rb1 affects rat embryo development and has teratogenic effects, causing birth defects.
Another study shows that Rb1 may increase testosterone
production in male rats indirectly through the stimulation of the luteinizing hormone
. Traditional Chinese medicine
asserts that Panax quinquefolius promotes yin
in the body.
It also inhibits chemoinvasion and angiogenesis
.{fact}}
In one study on breast cancer
and different ginsenosides, it was found that ginsenoside-Rc was capable of inhibiting the growth of these cancer cells. This suggests that there is a possibility that ginsenoside-Rc may have effects that prevent or limit the development of breast cancer.
An experiment was performed on Caenorhabditis elegans and their survival in a cholesterol-absent medium with the presence of ginsenoside-Rc. While the lack of cholesterol for Caenorhabditis elegans had been expected to reduce the lifetime of the worm, results proved otherwise: The consumption of ginsenoside-Rc had elongated the normal life span of the worm.
A further study was also able to demonstrate a possible effect of ginsenoside-Rc on the motility of sperm. Data from this experimentation showed a significant increase in motility when the sperm was in a ginsenoside-Rc solution.
Rg2 is a α-L-Rha→β-D-Glc glycoside of panaxatriol.
Steroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
glycoside
Glycoside
In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to a non-carbohydrate moiety, usually a small organic molecule. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzyme...
s, and triterpene
Triterpene
Triterpenes are terpenes consisting of six isoprene units and have the molecular formula C30H48.The pentacyclic triterpenes can be classified into lupane, oleanane or ursane groups.Animal- and plant-derived triterpenes exist, such as:*squalene...
saponin
Saponin
Saponins are a class of chemical compounds, one of many secondary metabolites found in natural sources, with saponins found in particular abundance in various plant species...
s, found exclusively in the plant genus Panax (ginseng
Ginseng
Ginseng is any one of eleven species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae....
).
Ginsenosides have been the target of research, as they are viewed as the active compounds behind the claims of ginseng's efficacy. Because ginsenosides appear to affect multiple pathways, their effects are complex and difficult to isolate.
Ginsenosides are separated by column chromatography
Chromatography
Chromatography is the collective term for a set of laboratory techniques for the separation of mixtures....
. Ginsenoside content can vary widely depending on species, location of growth, and growing time before harvest.
The root, the organ most often used, contains saponin complexes. These are often split into two groups: the Rb1 group (characterized by the protopanaxadiol
Protopanaxadiol
Protopanaxadiol is an organic coumpound characterizing a group of ginsenosides. It is a dammarane-type tetracyclic terpene sapogenin found in ginseng and in notoginseng ....
presence : Rb1, Rb2, Rc and Rd) and the Rg1 group (protopanaxatriol: Rg1, Re, Rf, and Rg2).
Rb1
Appears to be most abundant in Panax quinquefolius (American Ginseng).Rb1 seems to affect the reproductive system in animal testicle
Testicle
The testicle is the male gonad in animals. Like the ovaries to which they are homologous, testes are components of both the reproductive system and the endocrine system...
s.
Recent research shows that Rb1 affects rat embryo development and has teratogenic effects, causing birth defects.
Another study shows that Rb1 may increase testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
production in male rats indirectly through the stimulation of the luteinizing hormone
Luteinizing hormone
Luteinizing hormone is a hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland. In females, an acute rise of LH called the LH surge triggers ovulation and development of the corpus luteum. In males, where LH had also been called interstitial cell-stimulating hormone , it stimulates Leydig cell...
. Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
asserts that Panax quinquefolius promotes yin
Yin and yang
In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...
in the body.
It also inhibits chemoinvasion and angiogenesis
Angiogenesis
Angiogenesis is the physiological process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. Though there has been some debate over terminology, vasculogenesis is the term used for spontaneous blood-vessel formation, and intussusception is the term for the formation of new blood...
.{fact}}
Rc
Ginsenoside-Rc is a steroid molecule that can be found in the ginseng plant and is recognized for producing more sedative related results than other ginsenosides, such as ginsenoside-Re or ginsenoside-Rg.In one study on breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
and different ginsenosides, it was found that ginsenoside-Rc was capable of inhibiting the growth of these cancer cells. This suggests that there is a possibility that ginsenoside-Rc may have effects that prevent or limit the development of breast cancer.
An experiment was performed on Caenorhabditis elegans and their survival in a cholesterol-absent medium with the presence of ginsenoside-Rc. While the lack of cholesterol for Caenorhabditis elegans had been expected to reduce the lifetime of the worm, results proved otherwise: The consumption of ginsenoside-Rc had elongated the normal life span of the worm.
A further study was also able to demonstrate a possible effect of ginsenoside-Rc on the motility of sperm. Data from this experimentation showed a significant increase in motility when the sperm was in a ginsenoside-Rc solution.
Rg1
Appears to be most abundant in Panax ginseng (Chinese/Korean Ginseng). Improves spatial learning and increase hippocampal synaptophysin level in mice, plus estrogen-like activity (which could account for the boosting of "yin" theory).Rg2
Ginsenoside Rg2 appears also to be abundant in Panax ginseng and could protect memory impairment via anti-apoptosis in a rat model with vascular dementia.Rg2 is a α-L-Rha→β-D-Glc glycoside of panaxatriol.
Metabolism
M1 (20-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol) is a ppd-type monoglucoside ginsenoside metabolized by intestinal bacteria in humans.External links
http://www.eshre.com/ecm/main.asp?lan=99&typ=308 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology Researchers caution over using ginseng in early pregnancy- Ginsenosides as Quality Indicators in Woods-grown American Ginseng
- Title: The Effect of Production Practices on the Quality of Ginseng Roots
- The King's University College Biology Department