Antiepileptic activity of Panax ginseng against pentylenetetrazole induced kindling in rats

In the present study, Panax ginseng was evaluated for its antiepileptic activity against pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced chemical kindling in rats. PTZ was injected at the dose of 30 mg/kg, i.p. on alternate days and the occurrence of generalized tonic clonic convulsions were considered as the end point. One group received Panax ginseng every day, at a dose of 100 mg/kg, 30 min prior to PTZ injection whereas the other group received an equal volume of distilled water to serve as control. In a separate group the rats were evaluated for motor performance tests after Panax ginseng. The rats treated with Panax ginseng showed significant protection as compared to vehicle treated PTZ injected rats. The study suggests to potential of Panax ginseng against seizures.     

Protective role of Panax ginseng extract standardized with ginsenoside Rg3 against acrylamide-induced neurotoxicity in rats

Acrylamide (ACR) is an industrial neurotoxic chemical that has been recently found in carbohydrate-rich foods cooked at high temperatures. ACR was designated as a probable human carcinogen by IARC (1994) and USEPA (1988). Panax ginseng extract has efficacies such as anticancer, antihypertension, antidiabetes and antinociception. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the protective effects of Panax ginseng extract against ACR-induced toxicity in rats. Sixty adult Sprague Dawley female rats were divided into six groups included a control group, a group treated orally with ACR (50 mg kg(-1) body weight; b.w.) for 11 days, a group treated orally with Panax ginseng extract (20 mg kg(-1) b.w.) for 11 days and groups treated orally with Panax ginseng for 11 days before, during or after 11 days of ACR treatment. The results indicated that treatment with ACR alone resulted in a significant increase in lipid peroxidation level and LDH activity in brain homogenate as well as in serum CK activity, whereas it caused a significant decrease in SOD activity and a small but statistically insignificant decrease in Na(+)K(+)-ATPase activity in brain homogenate. Serum serotonin, corticosterone, T3, T4, TSH, estradiol, progesterone and plasma adrenaline were significantly decreased in ACR-treated rats. Treatment with Panax ginseng before, during or after ACR treatment reduced or partially antagonized the effects induced by ACR towards the normal values of controls. It could be concluded that Panax ginseng extract exhibited a protective action against ACR toxicity and it is worth noting that treatment with Panax ginseng extract before or at the same time as ACR treatment was more effective than when administered after ACR treatment.     

Stimulation of nitric oxide synthesis by the aqueous extract of Panax ginseng root in RAW 264.7 cells.

1. In this study, we investigated the effect of Panax ginseng root aqueous extracts upon inducible nitric oxide synthesis in RAW 264.7 cells. Panax ginseng root extract has been used in the Asian world for centuries as a traditional herb to enhance physical strength and resistance and is becoming more and more popular in Europe and North America. 2. Incubation of murine macrophages (RAW 264.7 cells) with increasing amounts of aqueous extracts of Panax ginseng (0.05 - 0.8 microg microl(-1)) showed a dose dependent stimulation of inducible nitric oxide synthesis. 3. Polysaccharides isolated from Panax ginseng showed strong stimulation of inducible nitric oxide synthesis, whereas a triterpene-enriched fraction from an aqueous extract of Panax ginseng did not show any stimulation. 4. Inducible nitric oxide synthase protein expression was enhanced in a dose dependent manner as revealed by immunoblotting when cells were incubated with increasing amounts of Panax ginseng extract. This was associated with an incline in inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA-levels as determined by semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction and electromobility shift assay studies indicated enhanced nuclear factor-kappaB DNA binding activity. 5. As nitric oxide plays an important role in immune function, Panax ginseng treatment could modulate several aspects of host defense mechanisms due to stimulation of the inducible nitric oxide synthase.     

Effect of Panax ginseng on age-related changes in the spontaneous motor activity and dopaminergic nervous system in the rat.

Effects of Panax ginseng on the spontaneous motor activity and central dopaminergic systems in old rats were investigated and compared with those in young rats. Oral intake of a 1.8% water extract of Panax ginseng for four weeks produced an increase in spontaneous motor activity during the dark period in old rats, while it caused a decrease in the activity in young rats. After the intake of ginseng extract for five weeks, it caused a significantly low dopamine utilization in the daytime in the striatum of old rats, while it produced a high dopamine utilization in the structure of young rats. Concentrations of striatal dopamine D-2 receptors in old rats were significantly lower than that in young rats, although subchronic Panax ginseng did not affect the striatal D-1 and D-2 receptors of old rats. These results suggest that subchronic intake of ginseng extract inhibits the activity of nigro-striatal dopamine neurons in the daytime and activates spontaneous motor activity during the dark period in old rats, while it produces opposite effects in young rats.     

用火焰原子吸收光谱法测定人参与人参果中的无机元素

目的：测定人参和人参果中9种无机元素的含量。方法：将人参和人参果粉碎后置于锥形瓶中,分别在电热板上经硝酸-高氯酸（4∶1）消解体系小火加热消解后,采用空气-乙炔火焰原子吸收光谱法测定。结果：人参和人参果样品中Zn、Cu、Mn、Fe、Ca、Mg、Cd、K、Na 9种无机元素含量测定结果的相对标准偏差为0.53%-3.4%,加样回收率分别为90.59%-110.00%和90.00%-114.29%。结论：该方法简单、快速,可用于人参和人参果中9种无机元素含量的测定,为其临床疗效研究提供了实验依据。     

Identification of Panax species in the herbal medicine preparations using gradient PCR method

In order to identify the existence of Panax species in herbal medicine preparations, the Ginseng specific marker primer was selected and created based on the sequence of Korean ginseng DNA fragment, 359 bp. The gradient PCR was performed on 40 types of the herbal medicines including the 7 types of Araliaceae that are in the same family with the Panax ginseng using the created Ginseng maker primer. As result, Panax notoginseng (Chinese), Panax japonicus (Japanese) and Panax quinquefolius (American), along with Panax ginseng (Korean) were the only ones amplified. However, in the case of Atractylodes lancea, one of the herbal medicines not categorized as Panax species, the DNA was prominently amplified by the Ginseng marker primer. The sequence of the amplified DNA of Atractylodes lancea was identified, resulting in enabling the differentiation from the Panax species by the Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLP) method. In addition, the results of the gradient PCR performed on the herbal medicine preparations that consists of Panax ginseng showed that 290 bp size of the original DNA fragments of Panax ginseng was amplified on the herbal medicine preparations containing Panax ginseng. Therefore, these results suggest a possibility of creating a new testing method for identifying specific herb medicines using the gradient PCR, a molecular biological method not only on Panax ginseng, but also on other herbal medicines and herbal medicine preparations.     

西洋参与籽播参的傅里叶变换红外光谱法鉴别

目的 为了建立西洋参与籽播参有效的鉴别方法。方法 采用傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）仪并借助OMNI采样器直接测定了样品的FTIR。结果 西洋参及籽播参外表皮及木质部的傅里叶变换红外光谱吸收差别较大。结论 可以采用FTIR直接测定法鉴别籽播参与西洋参，本法简便、快速、准确，而且不需制备样品。     

人参的化学成分及药理活性的研究进展与展望

对人参化学成分、人参与西洋参的鉴别方法、人参皂苷的代谢及人参的药理研究的新进展给予综述并对人参的研究作一简要展望     

高效液相色谱法对不同种人参属药用植物的指纹图谱分析

目的建立高效液相指纹图谱方法用于区分人参属不同商品药材包括三七，圆参（种植国产人参和种植高丽参），野山参，红参以及三种不同化学分型的西洋参，保证人参属药材的安全，正确使用。方法采用Zorbax Extend C18（250mm×4．6mm，5μm）色谱柱，乙腈和10mmol·L^-1 KH2PO4水溶液为洗脱溶剂，建立人参属药材的液相指纹图谱方法。结果根据人参属不同商品药材液相指纹图谱的整体和一些特殊成分的差异，可以区分人参属不同商品药材。结论高效液相色谱指纹图谱方法简单，有效，可重复，可以用于人参属不同商品药材的常规鉴别。     

Drug interaction potential of soy extract and Panax ginseng

To determine if soy extract or Panax ginseng increases the urinary excretion of the 6-beta-hydroxycortisol/cortisol ratio as a marker of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A enzyme induction, subjects received a soy extract containing 50 mg isoflavones twice daily (n = 20) or Panax ginseng 100 mg standardized to 4% ginsenosides twice daily (n = 20) for 14 days. Neither Panax ginseng nor soy extract significantly altered the urinary 6-beta-OH-cortisol/cortisol ratio, suggesting that unlike St. John's wort, they are not CYP3A inducers. Studies in vitro using human liver microsomes were performed to determine the effect of soy extract on probe substrates of CYP and UDP glucuronosyltransferase (UGT). Unhydrolyzed soy extract produced very little inhibition of CYP1A2, CYP2A6, and CYP2D6 and a trend of activation of CYP3A4. Hydrolyzed soy extract showed inhibition of all of the CYPs tested, particularly CYP2C9 and CYP3A4. UGT2B15 was the only UGT significantly inhibited. Even though both soy extract and ginseng have been shown to activate CYP3A4 in vitro, there is a lack of an in vitro correlation with the in vivo effects.     

HPLC 法鉴别西洋参和人参

用ＨＰＬＣ法测定了２４种西洋参根皂苷、５种西洋参茎叶皂苷、７种人参根皂苷、一种人参茎叶皂苷及８种单体皂苷（Ｒｏ，Ｒｅ，Ｒｇ１，Ｒｆ，Ｒｂ１，Ｒｇ２，Ｒｃ，Ｒｂ２）．结果表明，西洋参与人参的明显区别在于：人参含有Ｒｆ及Ｒｇ１；而西洋参不含Ｒｆ及Ｒｇ１     

Ginsenoside Rd enhances glutathione levels in H4IIE cells via NF-kappaB-dependent gamma-glutamylcysteine ligase induction

Panax ginseng is widely used as herbal medicine in East Asia and the pharmacological effects of P. ginseng against certain chronic diseases might be explained by its antioxidative effects. Here, we show that ginsenoside Rd significantly increases both cellular glutathione (GSH) contents and the protein level of gamma-glutamylcysteine ligase (gamma-GCL) heavy chain in H4IIE cells (a rat hepatocyte cell line). Subcellular fractionation and Western blot analysis revealed that ginsenoside Rd increased the nuclear level of p65, but not of Nrf2. Moreover, ginsenoside Rd increased luciferase reporter gene activity in cells transfected with nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) binding site-containing -1088 bp gamma-GCL promoter. However, ginsenoside Rd-inducible reporter activity was abolished when cells were transfected with NF-kappaB deletion mutant. These effectsof ginsenoside Rd are suggested to underlie the putative anti-oxidative effect of Panax ginseng.     

Molecular authentication of Panax ginseng species by RAPD analysis and PCR-RFLP

In order to develop convenient and reproducible methods for the identification of ginseng drugs at a DNA level, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analyses were applied within Panax species. To authenticate Panax ginseng among ginseng populations, RAPD analysis was carried out using a 20 mer-random primer. The similarity coefficients among the DNA of ginseng plants analyzed were low, ranging from 0.197 to 0.491. In addition, by using PCR-RFLP analysis, very different fingerprints were obtained within Korean ginseng plants. These results suggest that these methods are able to authenticate the concerned Panax species. Broader application of this approach to authenticate other morphologically similar medicinal materials is rationalized.     

主要人参皂甙的分布和比例及人参产品的质量控制

采用反相高效液相色谱法，对１５０多种西洋参、人参及三七的根、叶及其产品进行了分析。以８种主要的人参皂甙Ｒｇ，Ｒｅ，Ｒｆ，Ｒｂ１，Ｒｃ，Ｒｂ２，Ｒｇ２和Ｒｄ作为对照品，来评价人参及其产品的质量，这８种人参皂甙的分布及其比例在对人参及其商品的定性、定量分析方面具有显著的意义。本文首次提出了单体皂甙的含量比率这一有价值的数据在人参品种及不同用药部位鉴定方面的有效性。     

Molecular authentication of Panax ginseng and ginseng products using robust SNP markers in ribosomal external transcribed spacer region

Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius are the most widely used Panax species, but they are known to have different properties and medicinal values. The aim of this study is to develop a robust and accurate DNA marker for identifying P. ginseng and the origins of ginseng products. Two single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites specific to P. ginseng were exploited from nuclear ribosomal external transcribed spacer (ETS) region. Based on the SNP sites, two specific primers were designed for P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius respectively. P. ginseng can be easily discriminated from P. quinquefolius by amplifying the two specific alleles using multiplex allele-specific PCR. Favorable results can also be obtained from commercial ginseng products. The established method is highly sensitive and can detect 1% of intentional adulteration of P. quinquefolius into P. ginseng down to the 0.1ng level of total DNA. Therefore this study provides a reliable and simple DNA method for authentication of the origins and purities of ginseng products.     

ESR study on the structure and hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity relationships of ginsenosides isolated from Panax ginseng C A Meyer

Ginsenosides have been regarded as the main active components of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, and the antioxidant activity of ginsenosides in vivo is well described. However, there has been virtually no report describing the direct free radical-scavenging activities of ginsenosides through the long history of ginseng research. The hydroxyl radical (*OH)-scavenging activity test using an electron spin resonance spectrometer (ESR) is suggested to be the most appropriate to measure the antioxidant activities of ginsenosides. Therefore, we investigated the *OH-scavenging and ferrous metal ion-chelating activities of several ginsenosides of Panax ginseng using ESR for the identification of active ginsenosides and its structure and activity relationships. As a result, 20(S)-Rg(3) showed the strongest activity, and the next were in the decreasing order of Rb(1), Rg(1), Rc, Rb(2), and Rd when dissolved with water. The *OH-scavenging activities of ginsenosides were related to the ferrous metal ion-chelating activities of their aglycone, 20(S)-protopanaxadiol. In addition, the ferrous metal ion-chelating activities of ginsenosides were thought to be influenced by their types of hydrophilic sugar moieties.     

Effects of Panax ginseng, consumed with and without glucose, on blood glucose levels and cognitive performance during sustained 'mentally demanding' tasks

Single doses of the traditional herbal treatment Panax ginseng have recently been shown to lower blood glucose levels and elicit cognitive improvements in healthy, overnight-fasted volunteers. The specific mechanisms responsible for these effects are not known. However, cognitive improvements may be related to the glycaemic properties of Panax ginseng. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, balanced-crossover design, 27 healthy young adults completed a 10 minute "cognitive demand" test battery at baseline. They then consumed capsules containing either ginseng (extract G115) or a placebo and 30 minutes later a drink containing glucose or placebo. A further 30 minutes later (i.e. 60 minutes post-baseline/capsules) they completed the "cognitive demand" battery six times in immediate succession. Depending on the condition to which the participant was allocated on that particular day, the combination of capsules/drink treatments corresponded to a dose of: 0mg G115/0 mg glucose (placebo); 200mg G115/0 mg glucose (ginseng); 0 mg G115/25 g glucose (glucose) or 200 mg G115/25 g glucose (ginseng/glucose combination). The 10 minute "cognitive demand" battery comprised a Serial Threes subtraction task (2 min); a Serial Sevens subtraction task (2 min); a Rapid Visual Information Processing task (5 min); and a "mental fatigue" visual analogue scale. Blood glucose levels were measured prior to the day's treatment, and before and after the post-dose completions of the battery. The results showed that both Panax ginseng and glucose enhanced performance of a mental arithmetic task and ameliorated the increase in subjective feelings of mental fatigue experienced by participants during the later stages of the sustained, cognitively demanding task performance. Accuracy of performing the Rapid Visual Information Processing task (RVIP) was also improved following the glucose load. There was no evidence of a synergistic relationship between Panax ginseng and exogenous glucose ingestion on any cognitive outcome measure. Panax ginseng caused a reduction in blood glucose levels 1 hour following consumption when ingested without glucose.These results confirm that Panax ginseng may possess glucoregulatory properties and can enhance cognitive performance.     

Traditional chinese medicine in treatment of metabolic syndrome

In management of metabolic syndrome, the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an excellent representative in alternative and complementary medicines with a complete theory system and substantial herb remedies. In this article, basic principle of TCM is introduced and 25 traditional Chinese herbs are reviewed for their potential activities in the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Three herbs, ginseng, rhizoma coptidis (berberine, the major active compound) and bitter melon, were discussed in detail on their therapeutic potentials. Ginseng extracts made from root, rootlet, berry and leaf of Panax quinquefolium (American ginseng) and Panax ginseng (Asian ginseng), are proved for anti-hyperglycemia, insulin sensitization, islet protection, anti-obesity and anti-oxidation in many model systems. Energy expenditure is enhanced by ginseng through thermogenesis. Ginseng-specific saponins (ginsenosides) are considered as the major bioactive compounds for the metabolic activities of ginseng. Berberine from rhizoma coptidis is an oral hypoglycemic agent. It also has anti-obesity and anti-dyslipidemia activities. The action mechanism is related to inhibition of mitochondrial function, stimulation of glycolysis, activation of AMPK pathway, suppression of adipogenesis and induction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor expression. Bitter melon or bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) is able to reduce blood glucose and lipids in both normal and diabetic animals. It may also protect beta cells, enhance insulin sensitivity and reduce oxidative stress. Although evidence from animals and humans supports the therapeutic activities of ginseng, berberine and bitter melon, multi-center large-scale clinical trials have not been conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of these herbal medicines.     

中药三七对大鼠心肌缺血保护作用的谱效学研究

目的 以大鼠心肌缺血模型为对象,研究中药三七对大鼠心肌缺血保护作用谱效关系及药效物质基础。方法 在建立中药三七液相指纹图谱分析方法的基础上,研究药物治疗心肌缺血作用的物质基础及谱效关系。结果 人参皂苷Rg₁、人参皂苷Rb₁、三七皂苷R₁是中药三七治疗心肌缺血的主要有效成分。结论 通过谱效关系研究直接获得药效活性物质,建立了三七药材谱效关系评价的新方法,客观反映了药物的内在质量,为该类中药的进一步研究提供了新的思路。     

Stabilization of β-D-galactosidase from heat and chemical inactivation with the extract ofPanax ginseng C.A. Meyer

Staiblization effect ofPanax ginseng C. A. Meyer on β-D-galactosidase inactivation was pro ved by kinetic studies of thermal inactivation of the enzyme. The water extractPanax ginseng C.A. Meyer showed stabilization activity at minimal concentration of 10ppm. The methanolic extract was purified to obtain ginseng saponins, and two groups of the ginsenosides,i.e., protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol were isolated. They also showed a protective effect against the thermal and chemical inactivation of the enzyme;p-chloromercuribenzoic acid and hydroxylamine known as protein modifier greatly inactivated the enzyme but inactivation was significantly blocked by the ginseng component. Mg²⁺. known as a cofactor, stabilized the enzyme and the poor stabilization effect by it was potentiated by ginseng components.