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PubMed1998

Effects of the ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 on morphine-induced hyperactivity and reinforcement in mice.

Recent studies have demonstrated that ginseng saponin inhibits the hyperactivity and conditioned place-preference response induced by psychostimulants and opiates. This seems to occur by direct or indirect modulation of dopaminergic activity. However, it is not known which components of ginseng saponin are active. These experiments were conducted to determine the effects of the ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1, major components of the protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol fractions of ginseng saponin, on morphine-induced hyperactivity and conditioned place-preference. Morphine-induced hyperactivity, but not apomorphine-induced climbing behaviour, was inhibited by both Rb1 and Rg1. These findings confirm the hypothesis that ginsenosides modulate catecholaminergic activity preferentially at pre-synaptic sites. Morphine-induced conditioned place-preference was inhibited by Rg1, but not by Rb1. It has previously been shown that at low doses Rb1 and Rg1 are equally effective at inhibition of catecholamine secretion at the pre-synaptic site, but that at high doses Rg1 is a more effective inhibitor. This observation might explain our finding that morphine-induced conditioned place-preference was inhibited by Rg1 only. Our findings suggest that Rg1, a component of ginseng saponin with appropriate activity, might be a useful agent for prevention and treatment of the adverse effects of morphine.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Dai-kenchu-to enhances accelerated small intestinal movement.

The present study was conducted to clarify the effects of Dai-kenchu-to on accelerated small intestinal movement. We evaluated the effects of Dai-kenchu-to and its constituent herbs (dried ginger root, ginseng, zanthoxylum fruit, and malt sugar) on carbachol-accelerated mouse small intestinal transit, and contractions induced by low-frequency electrostimulation (ESC), KCl, or acetylcholine (ACh) using isolated guinea pig ileum. Dai-kenchu-to (10-300 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly improved carbachol-accelerated small intestinal transit in a dose-dependent manner. Using a concentration with the compounded rate for Dai-kenchu-to 300 mg/kg, carbachol-accelerated small intestinal transit was also significantly improved with a single dose of dried ginger root or ginseng. At a concentration of 3 x 10(-5) g/ml or less, Dai-kenchu-to, dried ginger root, and ginseng all inhibited ESC but not KCl- or ACh-induced contractions. However, at a higher concentration of Dai-kenchu-to (10(-4) g/ml) or zanthoxylum fruit (10(-5) g/ml or more) the ESC were enhanced. Both Dai-kenchu-to and dried ginger root at 10(-3) g/ml remarkably inhibited the KCl-induced contractions. These results indicate that Dai-kenchu-to improves accelerated small intestinal movement and that dried ginger root and ginseng may be involved in this effect. It is also thought that the mechanisms mainly involve the direct inhibition of smooth muscle but with a contribution from neural inhibition.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed2004

The inhibitory effect of intestinal bacterial metabolite of ginsenosides on CYP3A activity.

The intestinal bacterial metabolites of ginsenosides are responsible for the main pharmacological activities of ginseng. The purpose of this study was to find whether these metabolites influence hepatic metabolic enzymes and to predict the potential for ginseng-prescription drug interactions. Utilizing the probe reaction of CYP3A activity, testosterone 6beta-hydroxylation, the effects of derivatives of 20(S)-protopanaxadiol and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol families on CYP3A activity in rat liver microsomes were assayed. Our results showed that ginsenosides from the 20(S)-protopanaxadiol and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol family including Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Compound-K, Re, and Rg1 had no inhibitory effect, whereas Rg2, 20(S)-panaxatriol and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol exhibited competitive inhibitory activity against CYP3A activity in these microsomes with the inhibition constants (Ki) of 86.4+/-0.8 microM, 1.7+/-0.1 microM, and 3.2+/-0.2 microM, respectively. This finding demonstrates that differences in their chemical structure might influence the effects of ginsenosides on CYP3A activity and that ginseng-derived products might have potential for significant ginseng-drug interactions.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Ginsenoside Rh2 reduces ischemic brain injury in rats.

Ginseng was incubated under mildly acidic conditions and its inhibitory effect on a rat ischemia-reperfusion model was investigated. When ginseng was treated with 0.1% hydrochloric acid at 60 degrees C, its protopanaxadiol saponins were transformed to diasteromeric ginsenoside Rg3 and Delta20-ginsenoside Rg3. When the transformed ginseng extract, of which the main component was ginsenosides Rg3, was treated with human intestinal microflora, the main metabolite was ginsenoside Rh2. Orally administered acid-treated ginseng (AG) extract and ginsenoside Rh2 potently protect ischemia-reperfusion brain injury. The ginsenoside Rh2 also inhibited prostaglandin-E2 synthesis in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, but showed no in vitro antioxidant activity. These results suggest that AG and ginsenoside Rh2 can improve ischemic brain injury.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1984

The physiological effects of Aralia, Panax and Eleutherococcus on exercised rats.

Relative and total amount of saponins in Panax ginseng, Panax quinquefolius, Aralia mandshurica and Eleutherococcus senticosus were determined by thin-layer chromatography and by a spectrophotometric method. The ginsenoside Rg1 was present in American ginseng. Aralia and Eleutherococcus did not contain diol- and triol-type ginsenosides. Low concentrations of ginsenosides were found in Oriental red ginsengs (1.4-2.7%). Orally administered Araliaceae saponin extracts did not affect plasma lactic acid, glucagon, insulin or liver glycogen levels in exercised rats and did not prolong their swimming time. Plasma glucose levels in resting rats were decreased by saponin extracts of Canadian white, American red, Sanchi, Aralia, Eleutherococcus, Korean red and Shiu-Chi ginsengs.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Herb-drug interactions: a literature review.

Herbs are often administered in combination with therapeutic drugs, raising the potential of herb-drug interactions. An extensive review of the literature identified reported herb-drug interactions with clinical significance, many of which are from case reports and limited clinical observations. Cases have been published reporting enhanced anticoagulation and bleeding when patients on long-term warfarin therapy also took Salvia miltiorrhiza (danshen). Allium sativum (garlic) decreased the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and maximum plasma concentration of saquinavir, but not ritonavir and paracetamol (acetaminophen), in volunteers. A. sativum increased the clotting time and international normalised ratio of warfarin and caused hypoglycaemia when taken with chlorpropamide. Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo) caused bleeding when combined with warfarin or aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), raised blood pressure when combined with a thiazide diuretic and even caused coma when combined with trazodone in patients. Panax ginseng (ginseng) reduced the blood concentrations of alcohol (ethanol) and warfarin, and induced mania when used concomitantly with phenelzine, but ginseng increased the efficacy of influenza vaccination. Scutellaria baicalensis (huangqin) ameliorated irinotecan-induced gastrointestinal toxicity in cancer patients.Piper methysticum (kava) increased the 'off' periods in patients with parkinsonism taking levodopa and induced a semicomatose state when given concomitantly with alprazolam. Kava enhanced the hypnotic effect of alcohol in mice, but this was not observed in humans. Silybum marianum (milk thistle) decreased the trough concentrations of indinavir in humans. Piperine from black (Piper nigrum Linn) and long (P. longum Linn) peppers increased the AUC of phenytoin, propranolol and theophylline in healthy volunteers and plasma concentrations of rifamipicin (rifampin) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Eleutheroccus senticosus (Siberian ginseng) increased the serum concentration of digoxin, but did not alter the pharmacokinetics of dextromethorphan and alprazolam in humans. Hypericum perforatum (hypericum; St John's wort) decreased the blood concentrations of ciclosporin (cyclosporin), midazolam, tacrolimus, amitriptyline, digoxin, indinavir, warfarin, phenprocoumon and theophylline, but did not alter the pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine, pravastatin, mycophenolate mofetil and dextromethorphan. Cases have been reported where decreased ciclosporin concentrations led to organ rejection. Hypericum also caused breakthrough bleeding and unplanned pregnancies when used concomitantly with oral contraceptives. It also caused serotonin syndrome when used in combination with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (e.g. sertraline and paroxetine). In conclusion, interactions between herbal medicines and prescribed drugs can occur and may lead to serious clinical consequences. There are other theoretical interactions indicated by preclinical data. Both pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic mechanisms have been considered to play a role in these interactions, although the underlying mechanisms for the altered drug effects and/or concentrations by concomitant herbal medicines are yet to be determined. The clinical importance of herb-drug interactions depends on many factors associated with the particular herb, drug and patient. Herbs should be appropriately labeled to alert consumers to potential interactions when concomitantly used with drugs, and to recommend a consultation with their general practitioners and other medical carers.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Effects of crude drugs on lipolysis in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

In the present study, aqueous fractions extracted from Radix Ginseng, Radix Rehmanniae, Radix Puerariae, Radix Asparagi, Cortex Phellodendri and Radix Scutellariae were investigated for their effects on lipolysis measured the glycerol release in cultured 3T3-L1 differentiated adipocytes cells. Following treatment of cells with various concentrations of water-soluble extracts ranging from 0.1, 1 to 10 mg/ml for 60 mim, the basal glycerol release from 3T3-L1 cells was changed from 71 nmole/mg protein of control to 48, 46 and 31 nmole/mg protein in Radix Ginseng-treated cells. Amount of glycerol was reduced to 60, 26 and 20 by Radix Rehmanniae. In the presence of Radix Puerariae, glycerol release was decreased to 35, 34 and 30, respectively. After exposure to Radix Asparagi, amount of glycerol became 108, 73 and 70 nmole/mg protein, respectively. In the case of Cortex Phellodendri, amount of glycerol was increased from 126, 112 to 90, respectively. In the presence of Radix Scutellariae, the glycerol was changed to 118, 77 and 29, respectively. In isoproterenol-stimulated cells, the glycerol release from cells by Radix Ginseng was changed from 169 of control to 76, 73 and 72 nmole/mg protein, respectively. After incubation with Radix Rehmanniae, amount of glycerol decreased to 52, 35 and 11, respectively. In the presence of Radix Puerariae, the glycerol was changed to 26, 25 to 20, respectively. In the presence of Radix Asparagi, the glycerol became 160, 96 and 64, respectively. In the case of Cortex Phellodendri, the glycerol was increased to 160, 92 to 88, respectively. In the presence of Radix Scutellariae, the glycerol was changed to 149, 83 and 50, respectively. These results indicated that the water-soluble substances from Radix Ginseng, Radix Rehmanniae and Radix Puerariae decreased the lipolysis in basal and isoproterenol-stimulated 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed2003

Stimulation of the secretion of luteinizing hormone by ginsenoside-Rb1 in male rats.

Ginsenoside-Rb1 is one of the pharmacologically active components of ginseng, the dry root of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer (Araliaceae), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. Ginseng enhanced mounting behaviour of male rats and increased sperm counts in rabbit testes. Some experimental results suggested no sex hormone-like function in ginseng but probably gonadotropin-like action. The present study was to explore the effect of ginsenoside-Rb1 on the secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) both in vivo and in vitro. Male rats were orchidectomized (Orch) for 2 weeks or subjected to swim training for 1 week before catheterization via the right jugular vein. They were intravenously injected with ginsenoside-Rb1 (10 microg/kg) or saline at 15 min prior to a challenge of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) or 10 min-swim. Blood samples were collected at several time intervals following intravenous injection of ginsenoside-Rb1. In the in vitro experiment, male rats were decapitated and their anterior pituitary gland (APs) were either bisceted or enzymatically dispersed. The hemi-APs were preincubated with Locke's medium at 37 degrees C for 90 min and then incubated with Locke's medium containing ginsenoside-Rb1 (10(-7) - 10(-4) M) for 30 min. The dispersed AP cells (1 x 1(5) cells per well) were primed with dihydrotestosterone (DHT, 10(-8) M) for 3 days, and then challenged with ginsenoside-Rbl (10(-6) and 10(-5) M, n = 8) for 3 h. The concentrations of LH or testosterone in samples were measured by radioimmunoassays. Administration of ginsenoside-Rb1 did not alter the levels of plasma LH in both intact and Orch rats but significantly increased plasma LH concentration at the termination of the 10 min swimming exercise. Administration of ginsenoside-Rb1 resulted in a lower testosterone response to GnRH challenge or swimming exercise as compared with saline-treated rats. Ginsenoside-Rb1 dose-dependently increased the release of LH from both hemi-AP tissues and the DHT-primed dispersed AP cells in vitro. These results suggest that ginsenoside-Rb1 increases LH secretion by acting directly on rat AP cells.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Effects of ginsenosides and their metabolites on voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channel subtypes.

In previous reports we demonstrated that ginsenosides, active ingredients of Panax ginseng, affect some subsets of voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels in neuronal cells expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. However, the major component(s) of ginseng that affect cloned Ca(2+) channel subtypes such as alpha(1C) (L)-, alpha(1B) (N)-, alpha(1A) (P/Q)-, a1E (R)- and a1G (T) have not been identified. Here, we used the two-microelectrode volt-age clamp technique to characterize the effects of ginsenosides and ginsenoside metabolites on Ba(2+) currents (IBa) in Xenopus oocytes expressing five different Ca(2+) channel subtypes. Exposure to ginseng total saponins (GTS) induced voltage-dependent, dose-dependent and reversible inhibition of the five channel subtypes, with particularly strong inhibition of the a1G-type. Of the various ginsenosides, Rb(1), Rc, Re, Rf, Rg(1), Rg(3), and Rh(2), ginsenoside Rg(3) also inhibited all five channel subtypes and ginsenoside Rh(2) had most effect on the a1C- and a1E-type Ca(2+) channels. Compound K (CK), a protopanaxadiol ginsenoside metabolite, strongly inhibited only the a(1G)-type of Ca(2+) channel, whereas M4, a protopanaxatriol ginsenoside metabolite, had almost no effect on any of the channels. Rg(3), Rh(2), and CK shifted the steady-state activation curves but not the inactivation curves in the depolarizing direction in the alpha(1B)- and alpha(1A)-types. These results reveal that Rg(3), Rh(2) and CK are the major inhibitors of Ca(2+) channels in Panax ginseng, and that they show some Ca(2+) channel selectivity.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Trial of a new medium-term model using benzo(a)pyrene induced lung tumor in newborn mice.

A new medium-term in vivo model was tried using pulmonary adenoma induced by benzo(a)pyrene (BP) in newborn mice. Both inbred mice such as C57BL/5J, C57BR/cdJ. A/J mice and non inbred N:GP(S) mice were used. Benzo(a)pyrene was injected in the subscapular region of newborn mice within 24 hours after birth at a dose of 0.5 mg and 1 mg per mouse, respectively. After 9 weeks lung tumor induced in N:GP(S) and A/J mice but in the other mice. The dose showing a 50% tumor incidence was found in N:GP(S) mice to be 0.5 mg of BP but the tumor incidence was very high in A/J mice even at 40 micrograms of BP, the lowest dose in this experiment. To verify the utility of this model, ascorbic acid, carrot, beta carotene, soybean lecithin, spinach, Sesamum indicum, Ganoderma lucidum, caffeine, red ginseng extract, fresh ginseng and 13-cis retinoic acid, some of which are known to have anticarcinogenic activity in various animal models, were tried with this system. Ascorbic acid, soybean lecithin, Ganoderma lucidum, caffeine and red ginseng extract showed inhibition of lung tumor incidence, while fresh ginseng, carrot, beta carotene, spinach and 13-cis retinoic acid did not. This result suggested that the 9-week medium-term model using lung tumor induced by 0.5 mg of BP was useful for the screening of cancer preventive agents.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Herbal medicines and perioperative care.

CONTEXT: Widespread use of herbal medications among the presurgical population may have a negative impact on perioperative patient care. OBJECTIVES: To review the literature on commonly used herbal medications in the context of the perioperative period and provide rational strategies for managing their preoperative use. DATA SOURCES: The MEDLINE and Cochrane Collaboration databases were searched for articles published between January 1966 and December 2000 using the search terms herbal medicine, phytotherapy, and alternative medicine and the names of the 16 most commonly used herbal medications. Additional data sources were obtained from manual searches of recent journal articles and textbooks. STUDY SELECTION: We selected studies, case reports, and reviews addressing the safety and pharmacology of 8 commonly used herbal medications for which safety information pertinent to the perioperative period was available. DATA EXTRACTION: We extracted safety, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacokinetic information from the selected literature and reached consensus about any discrepancies. DATA SYNTHESIS: Echinacea, ephedra, garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, kava, St John's wort, and valerian are commonly used herbal medications that may pose a concern during the perioperative period. Complications can arise from these herbs' direct and pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetic effects. Direct effects include bleeding from garlic, ginkgo, and ginseng; cardiovascular instability from ephedra; and hypoglycemia from ginseng. Pharmacodynamic herb-drug interactions include potentiation of the sedative effect of anesthetics by kava and valerian. Pharmacokinetic herb-drug interactions include increased metabolism of many drugs used in the perioperative period by St John's wort. CONCLUSIONS: During the preoperative evaluation, physicians should explicitly elicit and document a history of herbal medication use. Physicians should be familiar with the potential perioperative effects of the commonly used herbal medications to prevent, recognize, and treat potentially serious problems associated with their use and discontinuation.

Dietary Supplements↗
PubMed2004

An antidepressant effect of Sho-ju-sen, a Japanese herbal medicine, assessed by learned helplessness model in mice.

The antidepressant effect of Sho-ju-sen, a Japanese herbal medicine composed of extracts of three herbs; kumazasa leaf (Sasa Kurinensis Makino et Sibata), Japanese red pine leaf (Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc) and ginseng radix (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer), was assessed using a learned helplessness model in mice. The learned helplessness was produced by presenting 120 unavoidable/inescapable shocks for 3 days to the mouse in a shuttle box, and the avoidance training was carried out on day 4. Compared with the control group given tap water, free consumption of Sho-ju-sen (1%, 3% and 10%) for 21 days resulted in a significant amelioration of the response rate at 1% and 3%, and both the response rate and % avoidance at 10%. Although Sho-ju-sen (10%) caused no significant effect following the 7-day intake, it ameliorated the response rate following the 14-day intake. The extract of Japanese red pine leaf, but not kumazasa leaf or ginseng radix, mildly improved the response rate. Learned helplessness was significantly and dose-dependently reduced by imipramine (10 and 30 mg/kg i.p.), while only mildly by diazepam (1 mg/kg p.o.). These results suggest that a long-term consumption of Sho-ju-sen is effective for the amelioration of depression, and the effectiveness is derived mainly from the extract of Japanese red pine leaf.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Analysis of ginsenosides by chromatography and mass spectrometry: release of 20 S-protopanaxadiol and 20 S-protopanaxatriol for quantitation.

To facilitate studies on the possible presence of ginseng products in serum, tissues, and excretions, a procedure to optimize the analysis of the ginseng specific products, i.e., ginsenosides, had to be worked out. With the present method the two sapogenins, 20S-protopanaxadiol and 20S-protopanaxatriol, can be produced from ginsenosides Rb1, Rc, Rd, Re, and Rg1 in 80% yield by using an improved alkaline cleavage procedure. In contrast to previously described acid hydrolysis procedures for ginsenosides, our alkaline conditions caused no epimerization, no hydroxylation, and no cyclization of the side chain. Furthermore, no unchanged ginsenosides were recovered. The products of alkaline and acidic cleavage were separated, identified, and characterized by GC, GC-MS, and HPLC. In contrast to alkaline cleavage, treatment with acid afforded a number of side products. The C-20S-epimers of the ginseng sapogenins could be distinguished from C-20R epimers by difference in mass spectra and retention time after trimethylsilylation.

Chromatography, Gas↗
PubMed1985

Co-carcinogenic effects of several Korean foods on gastric cancer induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine in rats.

In study I, 48 ACI and Fisher inbred rats were given MNNG 100 micrograms/ml, with or without 1 per cent or 3 per cent red pepper diet; in study II, 164 Sprague-Dawley rats given MNNG 100 micrograms/ml, with or without 5 per cent or 10 per cent NaCl; in study III, 181 Wistar rats given MNNG 83 micrograms/ml with or without maejoo 10 gm per cent/diet; in study IV, 78 Wistar rats given MNNG 83 micrograms/ml with or without ginseng extract 150 micrograms/ml; in study V, 120 Wistar rats given MNNG 83 micrograms/ml with or without retinyl palmitate 150,000 IU/kg. Except for study II (28 weeks), all rats were fed the diets for 37 weeks and were examined at 38 weeks or 40 weeks. In study I, tumor incidence in rats fed a red pepper diet and MNNG solution were 57 per cent (ACI rats, 1 per cent red pepper) and 63 per cent (Fisher rats, 1 per cent or 3 per cent red pepper) which were higher than control group (44 per cent, 43 per cent); in study II, gastric cancer, 61.9 per cent (10 per cent NaCl-MNNG), 27.3 per cent (control); in study III, gastric cancer, 14.8 per cent (maejoo-MNNG), 24 per cent (control); in study IV, malignant tumor of gastroduodenum, 3.4 per cent (ginseng-MNNG), 32.1 per cent (control); in study V, forestomach papilloma, 10.7 per cent (retinoid-MNNG), 29.4 per cent (control), and cancer in duodenum and small intestine, 50.0 per cent (retinoid-MNNG), 17.6 per cent (control). Thus, gastric carcinogenesis was enhanced by red pepper and a high salt diet, was inhibited by a maejoo and ginseng diet and was not effected by vitamin A.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Establishment of in vitro test system for the evaluation of the estrogenic activities of natural products.

In order to evaluate estrogenic compounds in natural products, an in vitro detection system was established. For this system, the human breast cancer cell line MCF7 was stably transfected using an estrogen responsive chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter plasmid yielding MCF7/pDsCAT-ERE119-Ad2MLP cells. To test the estrogenic responsiveness of this in vitro assay system, MCF7/pDsCAT-ERE119-Ad2MLP cells were treated with various concentrations of 17beta-estradiol. Treatments of 10(-8) to 10(-12) M 17beta-estradiol revealed significant concentration dependent estrogenic activities compared with ethanol. We used in vitro assay system to detect estrogenic effects in Puerariae radix and Ginseng radix Rubra extracts. Treatment of 500 and 50 microg/ml of Puerariae radix extracts increased the transcriptional activity approximately 4- and 1.5-fold, respectively, compared with the ethanol treatment. Treatment of 500, 50, and 5 microg/ml of Ginseng radix Rubra extracts increased the transcriptional activity approximately 3.2-, 2.7-, and 1.4-fold, respectively, compared with the ethanol treatment. These observations suggest that Puerariae radix and Ginseng radix Rubra extracts have effective estrogenic actions and that they could be developed as estrogenic supplements.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Ginsenoside-Rb1 acts as a weak phytoestrogen in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

Ginseng has been recommended to alleviate the menopausal symptoms, which indicates that components of ginseng very likely contain estrogenic activity. We have examined the possibility that a component of Panax ginseng, ginsenoside-Rb1, acts by binding to estrogen receptor. We have investigated the estrogenic activity of ginsenoside-Rb1 in a transient transfection system using estrogen-responsive luciferase plasmids in MCF-7 cells. Ginsenoside-Rb1 activated the transcription of the estrogen-responsive luciferase reporter gene in MCF-7 breast cancer cells at a concentration of 50 microM. Activation was inhibited by the specific estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780, indicating that the estrogenic effect of ginsenoside-Rb1 is estrogen receptor dependent. Next, we evaluated the ability of ginsenoside-Rb1 to induce the estrogen-responsive gene c-fos by semi-quantitative RT-PCR assays and Western analyses. Ginsenoside-Rb1 increased c-fos both at mRNA and protein levels. However, ginsenoside-Rb1 failed to activate the glucocorticoid receptor, the retinoic acid receptor, or the androgen receptor in CV-1 cells transiently transfected with the corresponding steroid hormone receptors and hormone responsive reporter plasmids. These data support our hypothesis that ginsenoside-Rb1 acts a weak phytoestrogen, presumably by binding and activating the estrogen receptor.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2003

A method for inflorescence proliferation.

Most perennial plants must pass through a long juvenile phase of vegetative development before they are capable of flowering. We have developed a method specifying inflorescence proliferation to bypass juvenility and maintain the adult phase. Bamboo ( Bambusa edulis) inflorescences were amplified by incubation in Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/l thidiazuron. Mutant albino inflorescences also proliferated in this medium. This method is equally effective with dicotyledonous plants. Ginseng ( Panax ginseng) buds were incubated in B5 medium supplemented with 1 mg/l benzyladenine and 1 mg/l gibberellic acid; new inflorescences developed from the base of the explants. Ginseng flowers were parthenocarpic and some of the fruit proliferated in vitro. Using the inflorescences as the material of somatic embryogenesis, we demonstrated that these were not mutations. The regenerated plants still had a juvenile phase and grew normally.

Bambusa↗
PubMed1994

Differential effects of ginsenoside Rb1 and malonylginsenoside Rb1 on long-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus of rats.

Ginseng saponins are known to have various pharmacological actions on the central nervous system. In the present study, we investigated the effects of ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) and malonylginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1-m) on the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the dentate gyrus using anesthetized rats. Injection (i.c.v.) of GRb1 did not affect the basal synaptic responses evoked by low-frequency test stimulation, but significantly attenuated the magnitude of LTP induced by strong tetanus (100 pulses at 100 Hz). The inhibitory effect of GRb1 depended on its doses (0.5-50 nmol, i.c.v.). On the other hand, GRb1-m did not affect the LTP induced by the strong tetanus, but facilitated the generation of LTP by the weak tetanus (20 pulses at 60 Hz) that produced only short-lasting potentiation in normal condition. The LTP-facilitating effect of GRb1-m was seen maximally at a dose of 5 nmol (i.c.v.) and diminished at a higher dose (50 nmol, i.c.v.). Since another ginseng saponin ginsenoside Rg1 did not affect the induction of LTP at all, the inhibition and facilitation of LTP induction are probably specific actions of GRb1 and GRb1-m, respectively. This is the first report providing direct evidence that ginseng saponins affect the activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in the brain.

Anesthesia↗