Processed Vietnamese ginseng: Preliminary results in chemistry and biological activity

Abstract

BackgroundThis study was carried out to investigate the effect of the steaming process on chemical constituents, free radical scavenging activity, and antiproliferative effect of Vietnamese ginseng.MethodsSamples of powdered Vietnamese ginseng were steamed at 120°C for various times and their extracts were subjected to chemical and biological studies.ResultsUpon steaming, contents of polar ginsenosides, such as Rb1, Rc, Rd, Re, and Rg1, were rapidly decreased, whereas less polar ginsenosides such as Rg3, Rg5, Rk1, Rk3, and Rh4 were increased as reported previously. However, ocotillol type saponins, which have no glycosyl moiety at the C-20 position, were relatively stable on steaming. The radical scavenging activity was increased continuously up to 20 h of steaming. Similarly, the antiproliferative activity against A549 lung cancer cells was also increased.ConclusionIt seems that the antiproliferative activity is closely related to the contents of ginsenoside Rg3, Rg5, and Rk1.

High-performance liquid chromatography based chemical fingerprint analysis and chemometric approaches for the identification and distinction of three endangeredPanaxplants in Southeast Asia

“…Meanwhile, PV contains not only protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol saponins (e.g. ginsenoside Rg 1 , Re, Rb 1 , and Rd), but also ocotillol saponins, such as majonoside R 1 and R 2 , which exhibit the hepatocytoprotective activity and biological activity . Oleanane‐type triterpenoids have been reported to be the major components of PS in previous study .…”

“…PN as the principal component (PC) of many medicines was used for its protective actions against cerebral ischemia, beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, and hemostatic, antioxidant, hypolipidaemic, hepatoprotective, renoprotective and estrogen‐like activities . PV (known as Vietnamese ginseng), the Southern‐most Panax species discovered so far, was first found at Mount Ngoc Linh in Central Vietnam in 1973 then identified and named as a new Panax species in 1985 . It has been used as a miraculous herbal medicine for the enhancement of physical strength and treatment of many diseases in the folk of Vietnam.…”

Phytochemical and biological research of Panax medicinal resources

“…The antiproliferative activity of P. vietnamensis is closely related to the contents of ginsenoside Rg3, Rg5, and Rk1 (Le et al, 2014). Oleanane-type triterpenoids from P. stipuleanatus have anticancer activities (Liang et al, 2010).…”

Anti-inflammatory effects of vina-ginsenoside R2 and majonoside R2 isolated from Panax vietnamensis and their metabolites in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages

“…Like other Panax spp., it contains protopanaxadiol (PPD) and protopanaxatriol (PPT) saponins such as ginsenoside Rb1, Rd, Re, and Rg1, as well as ocotillol saponins such as majonosides R1 and R2 and vina-ginsenosides R1 and R2 [18]. Of these majonoside R2 (MR2, N5% in dried Vietnamese ginseng) and vina-ginsenoside R2 (VR2), which exhibit anti-stress, anti-depressive, and anxiolytic activities, are the main constituents [17,18].…”