Yokozawa T, Kang K S, Yamabe N, Kim H Y
Institute of Natural Medicine, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, Japan.
Drug Discov Ther. 2007 Aug;1(1):30-44.
Panax ginseng has been reported to exhibit a wide range of pharmacological and physiological actions. A method of heat-processing to enhance the efficacy of ginseng is well established in South Korea based on a long history of ethnopharmacological evidence. We investigated the increase in free radical-scavenging activity of Panax ginseng as a result of heat-processing and its active compounds related to fortified antioxidant activity. In addition, the therapeutic potential of heat-processed ginseng (HPG) with respect to oxidative tissue damage was examined using rat models. Based upon chemical and biological activity tests, the free radical-scavenging active components such as less-polar ginsenosides and maltol in Panax ginseng significantly increased depending on the temperature of heat-processing. According to animal experiments related to oxidative tissue damage, HPG displayed hepatoprotective action by reducing the elevated thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBA-RS) level, as well as nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expressions, while increasing heme oxygenase-1 in the lipopolysaccharide-treated rat liver, and HPG also displayed renal protective action by ameliorating physiological abnormalities and reducing elevated TBA-RS, advanced glycation endproduct (AGE) levels, NF-kappaB, cyclooxygenase-2, iNOS, 3-nitrotyrosine, N?-(carboxymethyl)lysine, and receptors for AGE protein expression in the diabetic rat kidney. Therefore, HPG clearly has a therapeutic potential with respect to oxidative tissue damage by inhibiting protein expression related to oxidative stress and AGEs, and further investigations of active compounds are underway. This investigation of specified bioactive constituents is important for the development of scientific ginseng-derived drugs as part of ethnomedicine.
据报道，人参具有广泛的药理和生理作用。基于悠久的民族药理学证据历史，韩国已建立了一种热处理方法来提高人参的功效。我们研究了热处理后人参自由基清除活性的增加及其与强化抗氧化活性相关的活性化合物。此外，使用大鼠模型研究了热处理人参（HPG）对氧化组织损伤的治疗潜力。基于化学和生物活性测试，人参中自由基清除活性成分，如极性较小的人参皂苷和麦芽酚，会随着热处理温度的升高而显著增加。根据与氧化组织损伤相关的动物实验，HPG通过降低升高的硫代巴比妥酸反应物质（TBA-RS）水平、核因子-κB（NF-κB）和诱导型一氧化氮合酶（iNOS）蛋白表达，同时增加脂多糖处理的大鼠肝脏中的血红素加氧酶-1，从而发挥肝脏保护作用，并且HPG还通过改善生理异常和降低糖尿病大鼠肾脏中升高的TBA-RS、晚期糖基化终产物（AGE）水平、NF-κB、环氧化酶-2、iNOS、3-硝基酪氨酸、Nε-（羧甲基）赖氨酸和AGE受体蛋白表达，发挥肾脏保护作用。因此，HPG通过抑制与氧化应激和AGEs相关的蛋白表达，显然对氧化组织损伤具有治疗潜力，并且正在对活性化合物进行进一步研究。对特定生物活性成分的研究对于开发作为民族医学一部分的科学人参衍生药物很重要。
