Chemical components of ginseng, their biotransformation products and their potential as treatment of hypertension
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Chemical components of ginseng, their biotransformation products and their potential as treatment of hypertension Morris Karmazyn1 · Xiaohong Tracey Gan1 Received: 27 June 2020 / Accepted: 7 September 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Ginseng is an ancient perennial herb belonging to the family Araliaceae and genus Panax which has been used for medical therapeutics for thousands of years, particularly in China and other Asian cultures although increasing interest in ginseng has recently emerged in western societies. Ginseng is a complex substance containing dozens of bioactive and potentially effective therapeutic compounds. Among the most studied are the ginsenosides, which are triterpene saponins possessing a wide array of potential therapeutic effects for many conditions. The quantity and type of ginsenoside vary greatly depending on ginseng species and their relative quantity in a given ginseng species is greatly affected by extraction processes as well as by subjecting ginseng to various procedures such as heating. Adding to the complexity of ginsenosides is their ability to undergo biotransformation to bioactive metabolites such as compound K by enteric bacteria following ingestion. Many ginsenosides exert vasodilatating effects making them potential candidates for the treatment of hypertension. Their vascular effects are likely dependent on eNOS activation resulting in the increased production of NO. One proposed end-mechanism involves the activation of calcium-activated potassium channels in vascular smooth cells resulting in reduced calcium influx and a vasodilatating effect, although other mechanisms have been proposed as discussed in this review. Keywords Ginseng · Ginsenosides · Compound K · Hypertension · Vasodilatation · Nitric oxide
Introduction Ginseng is an ancient perennial herb belonging to the family Araliaceae and genus Panax which has been used for medical therapeutics for thousands of years, particularly in China and other Asian cultures. An interesting historical timeline documenting the use and development of ginseng as a medicinal product in China has recently been presented by He et al. which documents that the first medicinal use of ginseng occurred during the Han Dynasty, between 206 BC and 220 AD [1]. Ginseng cannot be considered as a single entity or product but rather it constitutes an herbal medication consisting of hundreds of bioactive ingredients which contribute to its therapeutic properties to different degrees. This represents an extremely complex issue as it Morris Karmazyn and Xiaohong Tracey Gan have retired. * Morris Karmazyn [email protected] 1
University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6G 2X6, Canada
renders it very challenging to identify the specific component of ginseng accounting for a given property. It is most likely that a combination of these components of ginseng, and not a single component, defines its therapeutic effects. Identifying the principal factors which are responsible for the beneficial
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