Gut Microbiome Prolongs an Inhibitory Effect of Korean Red Ginseng on High-Fat-Diet-Induced Mouse Obesity

Abstract

Although the anti-obesity effect of Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) has been revealed, its underlying mechanisms are not clearly understood. Here, we demonstrate an involvement of gut microbiome in the inhibitory effect of Korean red ginseng on high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced mouse obesity, and further provides information on the effects of saponin-containing red ginseng extract (SGE) and saponin-depleted red ginseng extract (GE). Mice were fed with either SGE or GE every third day for one month, and their food intakes, fat weights, plasma glucose, and insulin and leptin levels were measured. Immunofluorescence assays were conducted to measure pancreatic islet size. Stools from the mice were subjected to metagenomic analysis. Both SGE and GE attenuated HFD-induced gain of body weight, reducing HFD-induced increase of food intakes and fat weights. They also reduced HFD-increased plasma glucose, insulin, and leptin levels, decreased both fasting and postprandial glucose concentrations, and improved both insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Immunofluorescence assays revealed that they blocked HFD-induced increase of pancreatic islet size. Our pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene V3 region from stools revealed that both SGE and GE modulated HFD-altered composition of gut microbiota. Therefore, we conclude that Korean red ginseng inhibits HFD-induced obesity and diabetes by altering gut microbiome.

Multilayer coatings containing red ginseng dietary fibre improve the survivability and stability of probiotic bacteria

“…After four‐layer coating inclusive of RDF, the adhesion abilities of L. reuteri and L. rhamnosus were enhanced up to 56.91% and 46.22%, respectively, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies (Choi et al., 2019; Bang et al., 2022). This increase might be attributed to the red ginseng fibres, which can have beneficial effects on microbial flora (Lee et al., 2021; Hua et al., 2021a, 2021b). In contrast to L. reuteri and L. rhamnosus , the adhesion abilities of L. casei and L. plantarum were not improved by multilayer coating.…”

Strategies for Remodeling the Tumor Microenvironment Using Active Ingredients of Ginseng—A Promising Approach for Cancer Therapy

“…In accordance with these concepts, previous studies indicated that the efficacy of oral ginseng was related to gut microbiome-mediated metabolic transformation involving two types of ginsenoside biotransformation: conversion of protopanaxadiol-type ginsenosides to form compound K and ginsenoside Rh2; conversion of protopanaxatriol-type ginsenosides to form ginsenosides Rh1 and protopanaxatriol ( Kim, 2018 ). Interestingly, ginsenosides and ginseng polysaccharides have also been used to regulate the structure of the gut microbiome for treating a variety of diseases, such as obesity ( Song et al, 2014 ; Lee et al, 2021 ), diabetes ( Li J. et al, 2018 ; Xu et al, 2020 ), colitis ( Wang et al, 2016 ; Chen L. et al, 2020 ), and antibiotic-related diarrhea ( Qu et al, 2021 ). With regard to cancer, a recent study showed that oral ginseng polysaccharides combined with anti-PD-1-mAb could improve therapeutic sensitivity of anti-PD-1-mAb in patients with NSCLC.…”

The interaction between ginseng and gut microbiota

“…After the treatment with Korean red ginseng for 8 weeks, the symptoms of these patients were significantly improved, such as significant reductions in systolic blood pressure, and the gut microbial population was also obviously changed, and especially Bacteroidetes was upregulated while Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were downregulated. To further investigate the underlying mechanisms of the anti-obesity effect of Korean red ginseng, Lee et al (45) treated high-fat diet-induced obesity mice with its extracts and observed their gut microbiome composition. They found most changes in gut microbiota were associated with obesity and diabetes, including obviously upregulating Akkermansia and Parabacteroides, together while significantly downregulating Barnesiella, Bacteroides, Allistipes, Lactobacillus, Oscillibacter, and Helicobacter.…”