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Planta Med
DOI: 10.1055/a-2606-6705
Original Papers

Uncovering Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Ginsenoside Rg1 in a Wound-Inured Zebrafish Model by GC-MS-based Chemical Profiling

Su-Jung Hsu‡
1   Natural Products Laboratory, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
2   School of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan
,
Min He  ‡
3   Northeast Research Asia Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, P. R. China
4   Leiden University-European Center for Chinese Medicine and Natural Compounds, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
,
Luis Francisco Salomé-Abarca
5   Colegio de Postgraduados, Posgrado de Recursos Genéticosy Productividad-Fruticultura. Carretera México-Texcoco Km. 36.5, Montecillo, Texcoco de Mora, México
,
Young Hae Choi 
1   Natural Products Laboratory, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
,
Mei Wang
4   Leiden University-European Center for Chinese Medicine and Natural Compounds, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
6   Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands
7   SU Biomedicine, Leiden Bio Science Park, Leiden, Netherlands
8   Northwest University, Xiʼan, China
› Author Affiliations
S.-J. Hsu received funding (MOST 107-2917-I-415-002) from the Graduate Students Study Abroad Program, Ministry of Science and Technology (Taiwan). Min He acknowledges the Jilin Provincial Development and Reform Commission (grant number 2023C028 – 1), the Scientific and Technological Developing Project of Jilin Province (grant number YDZJ202101ZYTS119), as well as the financial support of the Pilotscale Selection Project of Colleges and Universities in Changchun City (No. 24GXYSZZ10). Mei Wang would like to express her gratitude for the “Wang Mei Expert Workstation” of Yunnan Province (201905AF150001) and Yunnan Provincial Department of Science and Technology (project number: 202003AC100013).
› Further Information
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Abstract

There is growing evidence highlighting the pivotal role of cellular metabolic adaptation in governing diverse immune responses, as well as the capacity of immune cells to alter metabolic preferences. In both scenarios, the prospect of leveraging bioactive compounds to induce metabolic reprogramming emerges as a novel adjuvant strategy for clinical immunotherapy. Rg1, a major active ginsenoside found in ginseng roots, has the potential to function as a glucocorticoid receptor agonist. Unraveling the intricate relationship between anti-inflammatory functions and the metabolic effects of ginsenosides and glucocorticoids may contribute to the identification of metabolic biomarkers associated with anti-inflammation. This research aims to determine endogenous metabolic response differences evoked by Rg1 and glucocorticoids underlying in vivo anti-inflammatory responses. The metabolic impact, particularly on primary metabolites, was assessed in zebrafish embryos using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in conjunction with metabolic pathways analysis via the KEGG pathway database. Our results indicated that Rg1 possesses a similar effect in alleviating inflammation in treating injured zebrafish as beclomethasone. The anti-inflammatory effects of Rg1 are achieved by inhibiting the neutrophils and macrophages toward the amputated edges and upregulating gene expression associated with pro-inflammatory cytokines. The anti-inflammatory effects of Rg1 also include changes in fatty-acid metabolism and downstream aromatic amino acids in the TCA cycle. Therefore, Rg1 may be a promising drug candidate for treating inflammatory responses and a valuable supplement for enhancing immune regulation.

Keywords

Panax ginseng - ginsenosides Rg1 - metabolomics - gas chromatography/mass spectrometry - wound-injured inflammation - zebrafish

Supporting Information

    Total ion chromatograms (TICs) for the metabolomics analysis by GC-MS, as well as the validation of the PLSDA model, are available as supporting information.

  • Supporting Information


Publication History

Received: 27 August 2024

Accepted after revision: 11 May 2025

Article published online:
16 June 2025

© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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