Comparison of biotransformation efficiency to produce Compound K according to the different types of Pectinase

The root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer is one of the most popular traditional herbal medicines in Asia region. Major active phytochemicals are ginsenosides, which have been reported to show various biological activities such as antifatigue, anti-obesity, anticancer and antiviral. It is thought that these activities are performed by the minor ginsenosides (F1, F2, Rg3, Rh1, Rh2, compound Y, compound Mc, and Compound K) metabolized by human intestinal microflora [1]. The metabolites as deglycosylated ginsenosides are more readily absorbed into the blood stream and function as active compounds. The metabolites could be produced via hydrolysis of the sugar moieties from the major ginsenosides using acid hydrolytic, heating, microbial, and enzymatic transformation techniques. Among these methods, the enzymatic method has been known as the most efficient preparation by its high specificity, yield, and productivity [2]. Thus, we decided to find the most appropriate type of Pectinase which is not only efficient tool for produce compound K but also industrially available. Three different enzymes, Pectinase 441L, Sumizyme AC and Plantase TCL, were performed with several various pH and temperature to optimize conditions. As a result, Plantase TCL proved as the most efficient catabolism mediator of ginsenosides to compound K. The yield of compound K from red ginseng extract was 47.147 mg/g. In addition, the optimal conditions were determined to be as follows: pH 4, 60 ° C and incubation for 2 days.

References:

[1] Kim B-H, Lee S-Y, Cho H-J, You S-N, Kim Y-J, Park Y-M, Lee J-K, Baik M-Y, Park C-S, Ahn S-C. Biotransformation of Korean Panax ginseng by pectinex. Biol Pharm Bull 2006; 29: 2472 – 2478

[2] Park C-S, Yoo M-H, Noh K-H, Oh D-K. Biotransformation of ginsenosides by hydrolyzing the sugar moieties of ginsenosides using microbial glycosidases. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 87: 9 – 19