Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research and Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, The Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Phytochemistry. 2011 Jun;72(8):689-99. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2011.02.012. Epub 2011 Mar 9.
Ginseng occupies a prominent position in the list of best-selling natural products in the world. Compared to the long history of use and widespread research on Asian ginseng, the study of American ginseng is relatively limited. In the past decade, some promising advances have been achieved in understanding the chemistry, pharmacology and structure-function relationship of American ginseng. To date, there is no systematic review of American ginseng. In this review, the different structures of the ginsenosides in American ginseng are described, including naturally occurring compounds and those resulting from steaming or biotransformation. Preclinical and clinical studies published in the past decade are also discussed. Highlighted are the chemical and pharmacological diversity and potential structural-activity relationship of ginsenosides. The goal is that this article is a useful reference to chemists and biologists researching American ginseng, and will open the door to agents in drug discovery.
人参在世界畅销天然产品列表中占据显著位置。与亚洲人参的悠久使用历史和广泛研究相比，对西洋参的研究相对有限。在过去十年中，人们在了解西洋参的化学、药理学和结构-功能关系方面取得了一些有前景的进展。迄今为止，尚未对西洋参进行系统综述。在这篇综述中，描述了西洋参中人参皂苷的不同结构，包括天然存在的化合物以及蒸制或生物转化产生的化合物。还讨论了过去十年发表的临床前和临床研究。重点介绍了人参皂苷的化学和药理学多样性以及潜在的结构-活性关系。本文的目的是为研究西洋参的化学家及生物学家提供有用的参考，并为药物发现中的先导化合物开辟道路。
