Subscribe to RSS
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-827192
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York
Comparative Study on Triterpene Saponins of Ginseng Drugs
This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), No.11695086 in 1999 - 2001 and No.14406030 in 2002 - 2004 from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and by the 21st Century COE Program from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, JapanPublication History
Received: January 14, 2004
Accepted: March 19, 2004
Publication Date:
15 July 2004 (online)
Abstract
A comparative study on the triterpene saponins of 47 samples of Ginseng drugs derived from 12 Panax taxa was conducted using a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Eleven ginsenosides, which represent 4 types of typical sapogenins, were chosen as standards for quantitative determination in order to characterize the chemical constituent pattern of each Ginseng drug and investigate the relationship between genetic varieties and chemical constituent pattern. The results showed that the ginsenoside compositions in Ginseng drugs of different origins were of considerable variability. Total saponin contents varied by 10-fold from the highest drug to the lowest one. Chikusetsu-ninjin derived from P. japonicus (Japan) was found to have the highest content (192.80 - 296.18 mg/g) and Ginseng from P. ginseng to be the lowest (5.78 - 15.63 mg/g). Two main groups (I and II) suggested by phytochemical data were clearly observed; group I mainly containing dammarane saponins consisted of P. ginseng, P. quinquefolius, P. notoginseng, P. vietnamensis and P. vietnamensis var. fuscidiscus; and group II containing a large amount of oleanolic acid saponins was composed of P. japonicus (Japan), P. zingiberensis, P. japonicus (China), P. japonicus var. angustifolius, P. japonicus var. major, P. japonicus var. bipinnatifidus and P. stipuleanatus. The ratios of the subtotal of dammarane saponins to that of oleanolic acid saponins (D/O) were found to be > 1.9 and < 0.25 for groups I and II, respectively. The drug samples derived from the same botanical origin revealed similar constituent patterns, in other words, each Panax taxon showed its own characteristic chromatographic profile, which appeared in the specific shape of an 11-direction radar graph constructed on the basis of the result of quantitative analysis. Similarities of chemical constitution were seen among the closely phylogenetically-related taxa, including P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius, P. vietnamensis and P. vietnamensis var. fuscidiscus, P. japonicus (China) and its varieties were demonstrated, except P. japonicus (Japan) and P. zingiberensis.
Key words
Ginseng drugs - Panax - Araliaceae - triterpene saponins - quantitative comparison - HPLC
References
-
1 Tanaka O, Sakai R. Saponins of Ginseng and related plants In: Herz W, Grisebach H, eds
Progress in the chemistry of organic natural products. Vienna; Spring-Verlag; 1984: pp. 1-76 -
2 Yang C R, Zhou J, Tanaka O. Chemotaxanomic studies and the utilization of Panax species. Acta Bot Yunnanica 1988 (supplement I): 47-62
- 3 Attele A S, Wu J A, Yuan C S. Ginseng pharmacology. Biochem Pharm. 1999; 58 1685-93
- 4 Shibata S. Chemistry and cancer preventing activities of Ginseng saponins and some related triterpenoid compounds. J Korean Med Sci. 2001; 16 (Suppl.) 28-37
- 5 Tohda C, Matsumoto N, Zou K, Meselhy R M, Komatsu K. Axonal and dendritic extension by protopanaxadiol-type saponins from Ginseng drugs in SK-N-SH cells. Jpn J Pharmacol. 2002; 90 254-62
- 6 Chuang W C, Wu H K, Sheu S J, Chiou S H, Chang H C, Chen Y P. A comparative study on commercial samples of Ginseng radix. Planta Med. 1995; 61 459-65
- 7 Samukawa K, Yamashita H, Matsuda H, Kubo M. Simultaneous analysis of ginsenosides of various ginseng radix by HPLC. Yakugaku Zasshi.. 1995; 115 241-9
- 8 Zhu S, Fushimi H, Cai S Q, Komatsu K. Phylogenetic relationship in the genus Panax: inferred from chloroplast trnK gene and nuclear 18S rRNA gene sequences. Planta Med. 2003; 69 647-53
- 9 Zou K, Zhu S, Meselhy R M, Tohda C, Cai S Q, Komatsu K. Dammarane-type saponins from Panax japonicus and their neurite outgrowth activity in SK-N-SH cells. J Nat Prod 2002 65: 1288-92; Zou K, Zhu S, Cai SQ, Komatsu K. Constituents from the underground part of Panax plants: Ye-Sanchi and Kouziqi. The 121th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, 2001 (Sapporo), Abstracts Paper: p 110
-
10 Zhu S, Zou K, Cai S Q, Meselhy R M, Komatsu K. Simultaneous determination of triterpene saponins in ginseng drugs by high performance liquid chromatography. Chem Pharm Bull; submitted
- 11 Zhou J, Huang W G, Wu M Z, Yang C R, Feng G M, Wu Z Y. Triterpenoids from Panax L. and their relationship with taxonomy and geographical distribution. Acta Phytotax Sin. 1975; 13 29-45
- 12 Tanaka O. Recent studies on glycosides from plant drugs of Himalaya and Southwestern China: chemographical correlation of Panax species. Pure Appl Chem. 1990; 62 1281-4
- 13 Zhu S, Fushimi H, Cai S Q, Komatsu K. Species identification from ginseng drugs by multiplex amplification refractory mutation system (MARMS). Planta Med. 2004; 70 189-92
- 14 Morita T, Tanaka O, Kohda H. Saponin composition of rhizomes of Panax japonicus collected in South Kyushu, Japan and its significance in oriental traditional medicine. Chem Pharm Bull. 1985; 33 3852-8
- 15 Zhu S, Fushimi H, Cai S Q, Chen H B, Komatsu K. A new variety of genus Panax from southern Yunnan, China and its nucleotide sequences of 18S ribosomal RNA gene and matK gene. J Jpn Bot. 2003; 78 86-94
- 16 Yang C R, Jiang Z D, Wu M Z, Zhou J, Tanaka O. Studies on saponins of rhizomes of Panax zingiberensis Wu et Feng. Acta Pharm Sin. 1989; 19 232-6
- 17 Tran L Q, Than M M, Tezuka Y, Banskota A H, Kouda K, Watanabe H, Zhu S, Komatsu K, Thet M M, Swe T, Kadota S. Wild ginseng grows in Myanmar. Chem Pharm Bull. 2003; 51 679-82
- 18 Wang Z, Jia Z J, Zhu Z Q, Yang C R, Zhou J, Sakai R. Tanaka O. Saponins of rhizomes of Panax japonicus var. angustifolius (Burk.) Cheng et Chu. Acta Bot Sin. 1985; 27 618-24
- 19 Yang C R, Jiang Z D, Zhou J, Sakai R, Tanaka O. Two new saponins of oleanolic acid from the underground part of Panax stipuleanus Tsai et Feng. Acta Bot Yunnanica. 1985; 7 103-8
- 20 Hayashi H, Hosono N, Kondo M, Hiraoka N, Ikeshiro Y, Shibano M, Kusana G, Yamamoto H, Tanaka T, Inoue K. Phylogenetic relationship of six Glycyrrhiza species based on rbcL sequences and chemical constituents. Biol Pharm Bull. 2000; 23 602-6
- 21 Maruyama T, Yokoyama K, Makino Y, Goda Y. Phylogenetic relationship of psychoactive fungi based on the rRNA gene for a large subunit and their identification using the TaqMan assay. Chem Pharm Bull. 2003; 51 710-4
Dr. Katsuko Komatsu
Institute of Natural Medicine
Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University
2630 Sugitani
Toyama
930-0194 Toyama
Japan
Phone: +81-76-434-7645
Fax: +81-76-434-5064
Email: katsukok@ms.toyama-mpu.ac.jp