KRGE regulated the expression of genes associated with abnormal physiology via HFD. Leptin, insulin, and adiponectin, which carry out critical functions in energy and lipid metabolism, were shown to be modulated by KRGE. These results show that KRGE is effective in preventing obesity.

Korean ginseng (the root of Panax ginseng C. A. MEYER) has been known to be a valuable and important folk medicine in East Asian countries, including Korea, China, and Japan for about 2000 years. Panax ginseng is indeed being widely used to treat numerous diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.1) Active constituents with curable features found in most of ginseng species include ginsenosides, polysaccharides, peptides, polyacetylenic alcohols, and fatty acids.2) Of these, ginsenosides, a group of saponins with a triterpenoid dammarane structure, have been studied as major pharmacological components with a variety of effects such as anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antihyperlilidemic, and anti-atherosclerosis activities in ginseng.2-6) Polysaccharide fractions from ginseng have also been explored to understand ginseng's biological roles in pharmacology in terms of immunostimulatory functions. 2)Numerous studies have revealed that polysaccharides from the root of Panax ginseng were known to have mitogenic activities, anti-tumor activities and immunostimulating activities in the cyclophosphamide-treated immunosuppressed mice.2,7-9) It has also been reported that red ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP) from Korean red ginseng was able to up-regulate immunostimulating and antitumor activities for activation of natural killer cells and nitric oxide production in macrophages and in tumor-bearing models. 10,11) Furthermore, acidic polysaccharides from ginseng root were found to reduce the incidence rate of benzo[a]pyreneinduced autochthonous neoplasm. 12)In addition, the anti-metabolic disease effects of polysaccharide fractions have also been explored using in vitro and in vivo experimental models. It has been reported that nonsaponin fractions of Korean red ginseng, are capable of inhibiting epinephrine-induced lipolysis and of stimulating insulin-mediated lipogenesis from glucose in rat adipocytes. 13)Acidic polysaccharides from ginseng root were found to inhibit toxohormone L-induced lipolysis.13) Acidic polysaccharides from Korean red ginseng modulated pancreatic lipase activity, and caused a reduction of plasma triglyceride levels after oral administration of corn oil emulsion to rats, implying the involvement of pancreatic lipase in the reduction of lipolysis.14) Nonetheless, very few polysaccharides of RGAP are known to be effective against hyperlipidemia in vivo. Although several papers have indicated the role of polysaccharide fractions from ginseng play in this regard, the effect of RGAP on lipid metabolism and hyperlipidemic conditions has not been fully elucidated yet. In this study, therefore, we aimed to explore the anti-hyperlipidemic effect of orally administered RGAP from Korean red ginseng with hyperlipidemic rat models. To do this, both Triton WR1339-induced endogenous and corn oil-induced exogenous hyperlipidemic rat models were employed. It has been reported that Triton WR1339 treatment increases serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) by u...

BackgroundRed ginseng oil (RGO) is produced by supercritical CO2 extraction of secondary products derived from Korean Red Ginseng extract. As the use of RGO has increased, product safety concerns have become more important.MethodsIn the present study, the subacute oral toxicity and bacterial reverse mutagenicity of RGO were evaluated. Sprague–Dawley rats were orally administered with RGO for 28 d by gavage. Daily RGO dose concentrations were 0 mg/kg body weight (bw), 500 mg/kg bw, 1,000 mg/kg bw, or 2,000 mg/kg bw per day. Bacterial reverse mutation tests included five bacterial strains (Escherichia coli WP2 and Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537), which were used in the presence or absence of metabolic activation. The plated incorporation method for mutation test was used with RGO concentrations ranging from 312.5 μg to 5,000 μg per plate.ResultsThe subacute oral toxicity test results did not reveal any marked changes in clinical characteristics. There were no toxicological changes related to RGO administration in hematological and serum biochemical characteristics in either control or treatment animals. Furthermore, no gross or histopathological changes related to RGO treatment were observed. The bacterial reverse mutation test results did not reveal, at any RGO concentration level and in all bacterial strains, any increase in the number of revertant colonies in the RGO treatment group compared to that in the negative control group.ConclusionThe no-observed-adverse-effect level of RGO is greater than 2,000 mg/kg bw and RGO did not induce genotoxicity related to bacterial reverse mutations.

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As various populations are rapidly becoming an aging society worldwide and interest in health issues has increased, demand for functional foods including herbal products has increased markedly to maintain a healthy state which has led to safety issues about their intake as an inevitable result. The objective of this study was to identify the safety profile of a Korean red ginseng and Salvia plebeia R. Br. extract mixture (KGC-03-PS) which is a valuable ingredient that can be used as a functional food. In the present study, the subacute oral toxicity and bacterial reverse mutagenicity of KGC-03-PS were evaluated. Sprague Dawley rats were administered KGC-03-PS orally for 28 days by gavage. Daily KGC-03-PS dose concentrations were 0, 500, 1,000, or 2,000 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day. Bacterial reverse mutation test with KGC-03-PS dose levels ranging from 312.5 to 5,000 μg/plate was carried out by OECD test guideline No. 471. Five bacterial strains ( Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537, and Escherichia coli WP2) were tested in the presence or absence of metabolic activation by plate incorporation method. There were no toxicological effects related with test substance in the clinical evaluation of subacute oral toxicity test including clinical signs, body weight, and food consumption. Moreover, no toxicological changes related to KGC-03-PS were observed in the hematological and serum biochemical characteristics as well as in the pathological examinations, which included organ weight measurements and in the gross- or histopathological findings. KGC-03-PS did not induce an increase in the number of revertant colonies in all bacterial strains of the bacterial reverse mutation test. The no-observed-adverse-effect level of KGC-03-PS is greater than 2,000 mg/kg bw/day, and KGC-03-PS did not induce genotoxicity related to bacterial reverse mutations under the conditions used in this study.