Ginsenoside Compound K (CK) has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory pharmacological activities. It has not been isolated from natural ginseng and is mainly prepared by deglycosylation of protopanaxadiol. Compared with the traditional physicochemical preparation methods, the preparation of CK by hydrolysis with protopanaxadiol-type (PPD-type) ginsenoside hydrolases has the advantages of high specificity, environmental-friendliness, high efficiency and high stability. In this review, the PPD-type ginsenoside hydrolases were classified into three categories based on the differences in the glycosyl-linked carbon atoms of the hydrolase action. It was found that most of the hydrolases that could prepare CK were PPD-type ginsenoside hydrolase type Ⅲ. In addition, the applications of hydrolases in the preparation of CK were summarized and evaluated to facilitate large-scale preparation of CK and its development in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Ginsenosides/pharmacology* ; Hydrolases ; Sapogenins/chemistry*

The contents of terrestrosin D and hecogenin from Tribuli Fructus were determined before and after stir-frying. The results showed that the content of terrestrosin D was decreased significantly,and the content of hecogenin was increased significantly after such processing. In order to verify the inference that terrestrosin D was converted to hecogenin by stir-frying,the quantitative variation rules of terrestrosin D and hecogenin were studied by simulated processing technology,and the simulated processing product of terrestrosin D was qualitatively characterized by ultra performance liquid chromatography/time of flight mass spectrometry( UPLC-TOF/MS) to clarify its transformation process during stir-frying. The results showed that the content of terrestrosin D was decreased significantly at first and then a platform stage appeared with the prolongation of processing time at a certain temperature. Raising the stir-frying temperature could further decrease the content of terrestrosin D and delay the time that the platform stage appeared. When the processing was simulated at higher temperatures( 220 ℃ and 240 ℃),the content of hecogenin was increased gradually with the increase of processing temperature and the prolongation of processing time. In the process of stir-frying,the deglycosylation reaction of terrestrosin D to hecogenin was not completed in one step. The deglycosylation reaction occurred first at the end of the sugar chain,and then other glycosyl units in the sugar chain were sequentially removed from the outside to the inside to finally form the hecogenin. This study provides a basis for further revealing the detoxification mechanism of stir-fried Tribuli Fructus.
Chromatography, Liquid ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Hot Temperature ; Phytochemicals ; analysis ; Sapogenins ; analysis ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Zygophyllaceae ; chemistry

Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) are the major components of Panax notoginseng, with multiple pharmacological activities but poor oral bioavailability. PNS could be metabolized by gut microbiota in vitro, while the exact role of gut microbiota of PNS metabolism in vivo remains poorly understood. In this study, pseudo germ-free rat models were constructed by using broad-spectrum antibiotics to validate the gut microbiota-mediated transformation of PNS in vivo. Moreover, a high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) was developed for quantitative analysis of four metabolites of PNS, including ginsenoside F1 (GF1), ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2), ginsenoside compound K (GCK) and protopanaxatriol (PPT). The results showed that the four metabolites could be detected in the control rat plasma, while they could not be determined in pseudo germ-free rat plasma. The results implied that PNS could not be biotransformed effectively when gut microbiota was disrupted. In conclusion, gut microbiota plays an important role in biotransformation of PNS into metabolites in vivo.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Biotransformation ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Feces ; microbiology ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; drug effects ; physiology ; Ginsenosides ; blood ; Male ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sapogenins ; blood ; Saponins ; administration & dosage ; metabolism ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

This study was conducted to investigate whether administration of IH901, a ginseng intestinal metabolite, ameliorates exercise-induced oxidative stress while preserving antioxidant defense capability in rat skeletal muscles and lung. Eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats per group were randomly assigned to the resting control, exercise control, resting with IH901 (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) consumption (R/IH901), or exercise with IH901 (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) consumption (E/IH901) group. The trained groups ran 35 min 2 days/week for 8 weeks. To analyze the IH901-training interaction, serum biochemical analysis, lipid peroxidation, citrate synthase, protein oxidation, antioxidant and superoxide dismutase in skeletal muscles and lung tissue were measured. Compared to the exercise control group, animals that consumed IH901 had significantly increased exercise endurance times (p < 0.05) and decreased plasma creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase levels (p < 0.05), while those in the E/IH901 groups had increased citrate synthase and anti-oxidant enzymes and decreased lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation (p < 0.05). In conclusion, IH901 consumption in aging rats after eccentric exercise has beneficial effects on anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities through down-regulation of pro-inflammatory mediators, lipid peroxidation, and protein oxidation and up-regulation of anti-oxidant enzymes.
Aging ; Animals ; Antioxidants/administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Lung/*drug effects/metabolism ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal/*drug effects/metabolism ; Oxidative Stress/*drug effects ; Panax/chemistry ; Physical Conditioning, Animal ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sapogenins/administration & dosage/blood/*metabolism/*pharmacology ; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms

In this study, the biopharmaceutical properties of 20 (S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) were studied. Firstly, the equilibrium solubility and apparent oil/water partition coefficient of PPD were used to predict the absorption in vivo. Meanwhile the membrane permeability and absorption window were studied by Caco-2 cell model and single-pass intestinal perfusion model. Furthermore, the bioavailability and metabolism were combined to study the absorption properties and metabolic properties in vivo. All of them were used to provide theoretical and practical foundation for designing PPD preparation. The results showed that PPD is poorly water-soluble, and the equilibrium solubility in water is only 35.24 mg x L(-1). The oil-water partition coefficient is 46.21 (logP = 1.66). By Caco-2 cell model, the results showed PPD uptake in general, and it also has efflux. By in situ intestinal perfusion model, the results showed that the absorption of PPD in the intestine is good, and the effective permeability coefficient were duodenum > jejunum > ileum > colon. The oral bioavailability of PPD was 29.39%. It was not well. Metabolic studies showed PPD in vivo presented a wide spread metabolism. So the main factors that restricted oral bioavailability of PPD were the poor solubility and first-pass effect.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Area Under Curve ; Biological Availability ; Caco-2 Cells ; Humans ; Intestinal Absorption ; Male ; Permeability ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sapogenins ; administration & dosage ; blood ; chemistry ; metabolism ; pharmacokinetics ; Solubility ; Tissue Distribution

The chemical constituents of the roots and rhizomes of Panax ginseng were systematically investigated by various column chromatographic methods including Amberlite XAD-4 macroporous adsorptive resins and silica gel as well as high-performance liquid chromatography, and their chemical structures were identified by physico-chemical properties and spectral analyses. Twenty-eight compounds were isolated from the 70% ethanolic-aqueous extract and identified as koryoginsenoside R1 (1), ginsenoside Rg1 (2), ginsenoside Rf (3), notoginsenoside R2 (4), ginsenoside Rg2 (5), notoginsenoside Fe (6), ginsenjilinol (7), ginsenoside Re5 (8), noto-ginsenoside N (9), notoginsenoside R1 (10), ginsenoside Re2 (11), ginsenoside Re1 (12), ginsenoside Re (13), ginsenoside Rs2 (14), ginsenoside Ro methyl ester (15), ginsenoside Rd (16), ginsenoside Re3 (17), ginsenoside Re4 (18), 20-gluco-ginsenoside Rf (19), ginsenoside Ro (20), ginsenoside Rc (21), quinquenoside-R1 (22), ginsenoside Ra2 (23), ginsenoside Rb1 (24), ginsenoside Ra1 (25), ginsenoside Ra3 (26), ginsenoside Rb2 (27), and notoginsenoside R4 (28). All isolated compounds are 20 (S) -protopanaxadiol or protopanaxatriol type triterpenoid saponins. Compound 1 was isolated from the roots and rhizomes of P. ginseng cultivated in Jilin province for the first time and compound 6 was isolated from the roots and rhizomes of P. ginseng for the first time. The 1H-NMR data of compounds 6, 14 and 19 were assigned for the first time.
China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Ginsenosides ; chemistry ; Molecular Structure ; Panax ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Sapogenins ; chemistry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

Recent metabolomics research revealed a new ginseng ginsenoside IH901 that is synthesized by intestinal microbial transformation in oral administration of ginseng. IH901 shows various biological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-aging. In recent years, great effort has been made to prepare IH901 by microbial and enzymatic transformation in a large scale. In this paper, we reviewed the biotransformation pathways both in vivo and in vitro and bioactive properties of rare ginsenoside IH901.
Biotransformation ; Ginsenosides ; metabolism ; pharmacokinetics ; Humans ; Intestines ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Panax ; chemistry ; Sapogenins ; metabolism

To prepare and evaluate in vitro the 20 (S) -Protopanaxadiol (Ppd) pharmacosome. The Ppd pharmacosome was successfully prepared by thin film-dispersion and its stability in vitro was studied. The particle size of pharmacosome was evaluated by dynamic scattering (DLS) and the encapsulation efficiency was determined by using centrifugal ultra-filtration. The encapsulation efficiency of Ppd pharmacosome was (80.84 +/- 0.53)% with the diameter of 100. 1 nm; While the encapsulation efficiency of Ppd pharmacosome that added Brij 78 added was (72.76 +/- 0.63)% with the diameter of 117. 3 nm. In addition, the effect of some factors on the encapsulation efficiency and the particles size, such as temperature, alcohol, pH and artificial gastrointestinal fluids, were investigated respectively. The selected formulation and technology are simple and practical to prepare Ppd pharmacosome and preparation properties are more stable.
Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Drug Stability ; Ethanol ; chemistry ; Gastric Acid ; metabolism ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Light ; Particle Size ; Sapogenins ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Scattering, Radiation ; Temperature

To study the pharmacokinetics of ginsenosides Rg1 and its metabolites after iv and oral administration in Wistar rats, the LC-MS/MS method was selected to determine ginsenosides Rg1 and its metabolites in plasma and their pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. After oral administration of ginsenosides Rg1 to rats, ginsenosides Rg1, Rh1, F1 and protopanaxatriol (Ppt) could be detected in plasma. Their Tmax were 0.92, 3.64, 5.17, and 7.30 h, respectively; MRT were 2.68, 5.06, 6.65, and 5.33 h, respectively; AUC(o-t), were 2 363.5, 4 185.5, 3 774.3, and 396.2 ng x mL(-1) x h, respectively. After iv administration of ginsenosides Rg1 to rats, ginsenosides Rg1, Rh1 and FI could be detected in plasma. Their T1/2betaS were 3.12, 5.87, and 6.87 h, respectively; MRTs were 1.92, 5.99, and 7.13 h, respectively; AUCo-tS were 1 454.7, 597.5, and 805.6 ng x mL(-1) x h, respectively. So, it can be concluded that after oral administration, the amounts of metabolites were higher than the prototype in vivo, and the distribution and elimination of the metabolites were relatively slow. After iv administration, the amount of prototype were higher than that of the metabolites in vivo, and the distribution and elimination of the metabolites were relatively slow.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Area Under Curve ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Female ; Ginsenosides ; administration & dosage ; blood ; isolation & purification ; pharmacokinetics ; Injections, Intravenous ; Male ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Sapogenins ; blood ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

OBJECTIVETo establish a RP-HPLC method for content and entrapment efficiency of 20 (S)-protopanaxadiol in pharmacosomes.

METHODThe separation was performed with a COSMOSIL 5 C18-MS-II column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 mmicrom) using methanol-water (95:5) as the mobile phase and detected at 203 nm. The flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1) and 50 microL sample solution was injected for each time.

RESULTThe calibration curve was linear within the range 0.1-0.5 mg x mL(-1) (r = 0. 9999) , the intra-day RSD and inter-day RSD were less than 2% and the average recovery was between 101.44%-103.11% (n = 3).

CONCLUSIONThe method is simple, accurate, sensitive and applicable for determination of content and entrapment efficiency of 20 (S)-protopanaxadiol pharmacosomes.

Calibration ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Panax ; chemistry ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sapogenins ; analysis ; isolation & purification