Steaming Changes the Composition of Saponins of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen That Function in Treatment of Hyperlipidemia and Obesity

Abstract

Saponins of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen have been classified as a type of composition in functional foods for numerous diseases. However, its mild effects and other characteristics limited clinical applications in diseases. Inspired by "nine steaming and nine processing" of P. notoginseng in traditional Chinese medicine, we developed a "steaming"-mimic protocol, which significantly changed the composition of saponins of P. notoginseng from the original, R1, Rg1, Re, Rb1, and Rd (raw-PNS), to the products after steaming, 20S/R-Rh1, Rk3, Rh4, 20S/R-Rg3, Rk1, and Rg5 (N-PNS). Surprisingly, N-PNS demonstrated promising activities in improving hyperlipidemia and reducing body weight and weight of white adipose tissue and the inhibition of adipogenesis in obese mice. In accordance with the results in vivo, N-PNS remarkably blunted adipogenesis at the early stage of differentiation dose-dependently in vitro. Moreover, we demonstrated that the activity may involve the adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway by promoting phosphorylation of AMPK T172 and downregulating its downstream factors: sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1, and fatty acid synthase. Taken together, the steaming-induced eight compositions of saponins showed a very promising function in improving hyperlipidemia and obesity both in vivo and in vitro, providing fundamental evidence for future study and application in treatment of hyperlipidemia, obesity, and other lipid-related metabolic syndromes.

Antifatigue Effect of Panax Notoginseng Leaves Fermented With Microorganisms: In-vitro and In-vivo Evaluation

“…Furthermore, plant components can also activate gene expression by altering microbial secondary metabolism pathways to produce new secondary metabolites. Wang et al ( 25 ) found that P. notoginseng by steaming significantly altered the composition of saponins. After treatment, new saponins as 20S/R-Rh1, Rk3, Rh4, 20S/R-Rg3, Rk1, and Rg5 appeared.…”

“…The contents of different saponins in PNL and FPNL were analyzed by the high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) method described in a previous study ( 24 , 25 ). High performance liquid chromatograph-grade methanol and acetonitrile were purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany).…”

“…The UV detection wavelength was carried out at 203 nm. The column temperature was maintained at 36 • C. The contents for ginsenosides in samples were calculated by their respective peak areas (25).…”

Panax Notoginseng suppresses diet-induced obesity and endoplasmic reticulum stress in epididymal white adipose tissue in mice

“…Besides, PNS can attenuate coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis [18,20]. PNS are also shown to regulate lipid metabolism with anti-obesity effects as reported in recent studies, reducing the volume of adipose tissue and mitigating hyperlipidemia through regulation of signaling pathways like leptin, AMPK and peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor (PPAR) [21,22].…”

Characterization, Classification, and Authentication of Polygonatum sibiricum Samples by Volatile Profiles and Flavor Properties

“…It is well known that steaming is a traditional processing method for huangjing, especially the strategy of nine cycles of steaming and drying, which accounts for 56.6% of all ancient literatures on the processing methods of huangjing [ 6 ]. The steaming process can affect major quality parameters associated with food products, such as color, odor, taste, polysaccharides, volatile compounds, and secondary metabolites [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”