Chemistry and Biological Activities of Selected Popular Chinese Herbs in the US Market-5B - 農業知識入口網

5. Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. May)

B. Biological activities

Extensive pharmacological studies have been reported on ginseng powder, ginseng extracts and ginseng components (58,59). Ginseng was found to improve different aspects of cognitive performance of healthy young adult (60), and to result in a reduction of bile flow and bile secretion of total lipids and cholesterol, while increase the secretion of proteins in a dose-dependent manner (61). The butanol fraction of ginseng was found to inhibit gastric damage (62). Ginseng saponins were discovered to contain components potentiating the apoptosis of MMS-exposed NIH3T3 cells via p53 and p21 activation, accompanied with by down-regulation of cell cycle-related protein expression (63), protecting hippocampal CA1 and CA3 cells against KA-induced neurotoxicity (64) and inhibiting EGF-induced cell proliferation via decrease of c-fos and c-jun gene expression in primary cultured rabbit renal proximal tubular cells (65). Ginsenoside Rb1, Rg3, and Panax ginseng butanol fraction showed strong inhibitory effects on inflammatory mediators from LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells (66). Topical application of ginsenosides significantly attenuated ear edema induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and ginsenosides also suppressed expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and activation of NF-κB in the TPA-treated dorsal skin of mice (67). The total ginseng saponins and ginsenoside Rb1 and Rg1 showed neuro-protective effects on spinal cord neurons, with Rb1 and Rg1 protecting spinal neurons from excitotoxicity induced by glutamate and kainic acid, as well as oxidative stress induced by H2O2 (68). Rb1 showed nootropic properties (69), ginsenoside Rb2 showed epidermis proliferative effect (70) and ginsenoside Rg(2) blocked the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in bovine chromaffin cells (71). Ginsenoside Rg3 was found to modulate Ca2+ channel currents in rat sensory neurons (72) and to inhibit N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors (73).