Ginsenoside from ginseng: a promising treatment for inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease mediated by immune disorder and termed as one of the most refractory diseases by the Word Health Organization. Its morbidity has increased steadily over the past half century worldwide. Environmental, genetic, infectious, and immune factors are integral to the pathogenesis of IBD. Commonly known as the king of herbs, ginseng has been consumed in many countries for the past 2000 years. Its active ingredient ginsenosides, as the most prominent saponins of ginseng, have a wide range of pharmacological effects. Recent studies have confirmed that the active components of Panax ginseng have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects on IBD, including regulating the balance of immune cells, inhibiting the expression of cytokines, as well as activating Toll-like receptor 4, Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (NLRP), mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, and so on. Accumulated evidence indicates that ginsenosides may serve as a potential novel therapeutic drug or health product additive in IBD prevention and treatment in the future.

Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Products: Potential Approaches for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…Ginsenosides have been extracted from the genus Ginseng’s roots, stems, leaves, and fruits ( Kang et al, 2021 ). Ginsenosides Rg1 can block the recognition of TLR, inhibit PI3K/Akt pathway transactivation and STAT protein activation, and regulate Follicular helper T cells (Tfh)/Treg cell homeostasis ( Jin et al, 2021 ).…”

Anti-fatigue effect from Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma: a suggestive and promising treatment for long COVID

“…Several studies have reported that oral administration of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma extracts shows promising anti-viral effects (e.g., lowering viral loads and improving the viability of infected cells) against human immunodeficiency virus-1, influenza virus, rotavirus, and respiratory syncytial virus [ 25 – 26 ] . Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma can ameliorate chronic inflammation induced by a variety of autoimmune diseases—such as rheumatic diseases and inflammatory bowel disease—presumably by inhibiting the release of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNFα [ 27 – 28 ] . In addition, a small-sized clinical study shows that administration of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra extract reduced the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as TNFα and IFNγ, after chemotherapy [ 29 ] .…”

Potential Modulatory Microbiome Therapies for Prevention or Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

“…Besides CK, other gut microbial metabolites of ginsenosides have been found to possess anti-inflammatory and anti-IBD effects via various mechanisms [90,117].…”