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Planta Med 1974; 25(1): 28-38
DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1097909
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

FUNDAMENTAL STUDIES ON THE EVALUATION OF THE CRUDE DRUGS (I)

Hemolytic and its Protective Activity of Ginseng SaponinsT. Namba, M. Yoshizaki, T. Tomimori, K. Kobashi, K. Mitsui, J. Hase
  • Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Gofuku, Toyama, Japan,
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Publication Date:
14 January 2009 (online)

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Abstract

Natural saponins have been reported to be hemolytic, but ginseng saponins to be non-hemolytic. Interested in this facts, we reinvestigated the hemolytic properties of ginseng saponins.

Total saponin was prepared form the lateral roots of ginseng cultivated in Korea and fractionated by column chromatography to nine fractions (Fr. I–IX). Hemolytic and its protective activities of these fractions were determined, using washed human erythrocytes.

  1. Total saponin had no hemolytic activity but some fractions of this saponin (Fr. I–V) were hemolytic, and the others (Fr. VI–VIII) were contrarily protective against the „Saponin” (Merck)– and lecithin-induced hemolysis.

  2. Hemolysis by lysolecithin was protected by Fr. VII (Main component: ginsenosides Re and Rb2), but hemolysis by deoxycholate was not affected by this fraction.

  3. Hemolysis by Fr. I (Rh and Rg) was protected by Fr. VII, and a similar competitive relation was also observed between Rg and Re.

  4. In spite of possessing the same sapogenin, 20–S–protopanaxatriol, Fr. I–III (Rh, g and f) showed hemolytic activity and Re showed a protective activity. These findings suggest that sapogenin moiety is not necessarily essential for both activities, but the number and the position, of sugar are responsible for the activities.

From these results, we concluded that ginseng saponins were consisted of hemolytic and anti-hemolytic saponins, both of which were coexisted in one Chinese crude drug, and both activities are apparently masked in a crude preparation owing to their balanced counter activity.