Simultaneous Determination of Triterpene Saponins in Ginseng Drugs by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

Ginseng drugs, the roots and/or rhizomes of Panax spp. (Araliaceae), are a group of the most important herbal medicines in the Orient. More than 10 Panax taxa reported worldwide are available as medicinal resources in traditional Chinese medicine as well as in folk medicine, such as Ginseng, American Ginseng, Notoginseng, Chikusetsu-ninjin (Japanese Ginseng), Vietnamese Ginseng, etc. The main bioactive constituents of Ginseng drugs are considered to be triterpene saponins, generally referred to as ginsenosides. To date, more than 80 ginsenosides have been isolated from these drugs and most of them possess four types of aglycones, i.e., protopanaxadiol, protopanaxatriol, ocotillol and oleanolic acid types. [1][2][3] Pharmacologic studies showed that the bioactivities of ginsenosides vary depending on the type of aglycone and the sugar moiety. [4][5][6] Phytochemical studies revealed that the composition and relative abundance of various ginsenosides in these drugs are different. [7][8][9] Comparative studies of the protopanaxadiol type [ginsenoside Rb 1 (1), Rb 2 , Rc (2), and Rd (3)] and protopanaxatriol type [ginsenoside Re (5), Rg 1 (6), and Rf] in Ginseng, American Ginseng and Notoginseng have been reported. [10][11][12] However, a systematic comparison of the four-type ginsenosides, including the ocotillol and oleanolic acid types, has not been investigated so far. Recently, majonoside R 2 (8), a typical ocotillol type saponin, has attracted much attention for its high medicinal value as an antistress and antitumor active agent. 13,14) The oleanolic acid saponins, ginsenoside Ro (9) and chikusetsusaponin IV (10) have also been reported to have an antiinflammatory effect and to protect against stress ulcers. 15)Therefore a convenient and efficient method that allows simultaneous determination of the four-type ginsenosides is desirable for chemical and biological evaluation of different Ginseng drugs.In the present study, 11 ginsenosides (1-11) (Fig. 1) representing the four types of saponins were chosen as standards based on extensive existence of relatively high concentration in different Ginseng drugs, which also have biological potential and phytotaxonomic significance. Here, we report the investigation and validation of a convenient HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of 11 ginsenosides with fourtype aglycones and its utilization in the quantitative analysis of three Ginseng drugs with completely different compositions of ginsenosides, 7,8,16) which are Ginseng, Ye-Sanchi, and Satsuma-ninjin derived from Panax ginseng, Panax vietnamensis var. fuscidiscus, and Panax japonicus (Japan), respectively. A HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of 11 triterpene saponins with four-type aglycones (protopanaxadiol, protopanaxatriol, ocotillol and oleanolic acid types) in Ginseng drugs was developed and validated. Using a gradient of acetonitrile and 10 mM K-phosphate buffer (pH 5.80) as the mobile phase and UV detection at 196 nm, more than 18 ginsenosides with different aglycones were separated ...

Determination of 20(S)-protopanaxadiol ocotillol type epimers in rat plasma by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

“…The ginsenosides are the major pharmacologically active components of ginseng which can be subdivided into four classes according to aglycones: 20(S)-protopanaxadiol type, 20(S)-protopanaxatriol type, oleanic acid type and ocotillol type [1]. 20(S)-Protopanaxadiol is one of the aglycones of the ginsenosides which has a wide range of pharmacologic activities, including vasodilator [2], cardioprotection [3][4][5], anti-estrogenic [6,7], antiinflammatory [8,9] and antitumor [10][11][12].…”

Effect of sugar positions in ginsenosides and their inhibitory potency on Na+/K+-ATPase activity

“…Ginsenosides are triterpene saponins that have a common 4 ring hydrophobic steroid-like structure with sugar moieties attached mostly at the C-3, C-6, or C-20 position [8] . So far, more than 80 ginsenosides have been isolated from over 10 Panax taxa, and most of these are derived from 4 types of aglycones: protopanaxadiol, protopanaxatriol, oleanolic acid, and ocotillol [9] . Biological activities, such as neuroprotective effects, antitumoral activity, and cardiac therapeutic effects have been documented for these ginsenosides [1,7,10] .…”

Active ingredients in Chinese medicines promoting blood circulation as Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitors

“…To date, more than 80 ginsenosides have been isolated from over ten Panax taxa, and most of them are derived from four types of aglycones: protopanaxadiol, protopanaxatriol, oleanolic acid, and ocotillol [77] . Several biological activities, such as neuroprotective effects, antitumour activity, and cardiac therapeutic effects, have been documented for many ginsenosides [78,79] .…”