Pharmacology Letter	Planta Med 2007; 73: 669-674 DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-981524
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York
Red American Ginseng: Ginsenoside Constituents and Antiproliferative Activities of Heat-Processed Panax quinquefolius Roots
Chong-Zhi Wang1, 2, Han H. Aung1, 2, Ming Ni1, 2, Ji-An Wu1, 2, Robin Tong1, 2, Sheila Wicks1, 2, Tong-Chuan He3, Chun-Su Yuan1, 2, 4
1 Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA 2 Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA 3 Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA 4 Committee on Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Abstract

Red Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, Araliaceae) is used in many Oriental countries. In this study, the saponin constituents and anticancer activities of steamed American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) roots were evaluated. The contents of 12 ginsenosides in the roots were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After the steaming treatment (100 - 120 °C for 1 h and 120 °C for 0.5 - 4 h), the quantity of 7 ginsenosides decreased and that of 5 others increased. The content of ginsenoside Rg3, a previously recognized anticancer compound, increased significantly when the root was steamed at 120 °C for 0.5 - 3 h. The antiproliferative effects of unsteamed and steamed (120 °C for 1 h and 2 h) American ginseng root extracts were assayed by the modified trichrome stain (MTS) method using three cancer cell lines (SW-480, HT-29, NSCLC). Heat-processing increased the antiproliferative effect of American ginseng significantly, and the activity of the extract from roots steamed for 2 h was greater than that of roots steamed for 1 h. Chemical constituents and antiproliferative activities of white and red Asian ginseng have also been evaluated. Five representative ginsenosides, Rb1, Rd, Re, Rg2 and Rg3, were studied. Ginsenoside Rg3 had the most potent effect. The antiproliferative activities of red American ginseng are augmented when ginsenoside Rg3 is increased.