Research Progress on Effects of Ginsenoside Rg2 and Rh1 on Nervous System and Related Mechanisms

Abstract

Neurological-related disorders are diseases that affect the body’s neurons or peripheral nerve tissue, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The development of neurological disorders can cause serious harm to the quality of life and functioning of the patient. The use of traditional therapeutic agents such as dopamine-promoting drugs, anticholinergic drugs, cholinesterase inhibitors, and NMDA receptor antagonists is often accompanied by a series of side effects such as drug resistance, cardiac arrhythmia, liver function abnormalities, and blurred vision. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find a therapeutic drug with a high safety profile and few side effects. Herbal medicines are rich in active ingredients that are natural macromolecules. Ginsenoside is the main active ingredient of ginseng, which has a variety of pharmacological effects and is considered to have potential value in the treatment of human diseases. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that ginsenosides Rg2 and Rh1 have strong pharmacological activities in the nervous system, with protective effects on nerve cells, improved resistance to neuronal injury, modulation of neural activity, resistance to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, improvement of brain damage after eclampsia hemorrhage, improvement of memory and cognitive deficits, treatment of AD and vascular dementia, alleviation of anxiety, pain, and inhibition of ionic-like behavior. In this article, we searched the pharmacological research literature of Rg2 and Rh1 in the field of neurological diseases, summarized the latest research progress of the two ginsenosides, and reviewed the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of Rg2 and Rh1, which provided a new way of thinking for the research of the active ingredients in ginseng anti-neurological diseases and the development of new drugs.

P-hydroxybenzaldehyde protects Caenorhabditis elegans from oxidative stress and β-amyloid toxicity

“…For example, studies have shown that the ginsenosides Rd., Rg2 and Rh1 all have neuroprotective effects, and Rd. can reduce the neurotoxic effects of Aβ protein on C. elegans by resisting oxidative stress ( Mi et al, 2022 ), while ginsenosides Rg2 and Rh1 also have strong pharmacological activities in the nervous system, and can improve the body’s ability to resist neuronal damage, regulate neural activity, and can treat AD and vascular dementia ( Liu S. et al, 2023 ). Furthermore, Frondoside A, a saponin isolated from sea cucumber, can reduce the level of ROS in nematodes, decrease the oligomerization of Aβ proteins, and inhibit their toxicity ( Tangrodchanapong et al, 2020 ).…”