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ORIENTAL GINSENG - REN SHEN Panax Ginseng
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THE PRICE OF GINsENG Siberian ginseng is cheap, and should cost only a fraction of what Oriental or American ginseng costs. GINSENG EXTRACTS (GINSENG pills and liquids)
Herbalists, however, believe that the effects of any herb depend on many chemical components interacting together. That is why most herbologists prefer whole herbs or simple water extractions to standardized extracts. Besides, extracts are usually taken from inferior herbs, herbs that can't be sold whole due to poor appearance, taste, potency, etc. Low temperature water extracts, which have not been chemically manipulated in order to standardize ginsanocides, are more like the herb as it is found in nature. These extracts are, of course, only as potent as the herbs from which they came. Garbage in, garbage out.
ORGANIC GINSENGGinseng that is truly gathered in the wild (wildcrafted) is likely free of fertilizers and pesticides. However, to be called "organic", ginseng must be certified by a third party organization recognized under the Organic Food Production Act (OFPA). This law can be accessed through the website www.cfarm.com/nosb/guide/0index.htm. Methods of certification vary from state to state, and until very recently, there were no Chinese certification agencies recognized by federal authorities. This picture is beginning to change, and markets are adapting to the demand for organic GINSENG RESEARCH
Ginsenoside Re of Panax ginseng possesses significant antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic efficacies in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, 7 Baptist University Road, Hong Kong, China. williamcscho@gmail.com Diabetes mellitus is characterized by hyperglycemia and complications affecting the eye, kidney, nerve and blood vessel. We have previously demonstrated the occurrence of oxidative stress of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, preceded by a depletion in the tissue level of glutathione. In this study, when diabetic rats were treated with ginsenoside Re of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, there was a significant reduction in blood glucose, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. On the other hand, oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications. It was found that treatment by ginsenoside Re restored the levels of both glutathione and malondialdehyde in the eye and kidney to those found in the control rats. This is the first report demonstrating ginsenoside Re has significant antioxidant efficacy in diabetes, and prevents the onset of oxidative stress in some vascular tissues. Our results demonstrated that ginsenoside Re could lower blood glucose and lipid levels, and exerts protective actions against the occurrence of oxidative stress in the eye and kidney of diabetic rats. Our data also provide evidence that ginsenoside Re could be used as an effective antidiabetic agent particularly in the prevention of diabetic microvasculopathy. PMID: 17027742 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Increase of acetylcholine release by Panax ginseng root enhances insulin secretion in Wistar rats.Department of Nursing Sciences, National Tainan Institute of Nursing, Tainan City 70201, Taiwan, ROC. The present study was designed to ascertain the effect of Panax ginseng root on plasma glucose and investigate the possible mechanisms for the effect. Ninety minutes after the oral administration of P. ginseng root to fasting Wistar rats, plasma glucose decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Simultaneous with the reduction in plasma glucose, an increase in the plasma level of insulin and C-peptide was also observed. Moreover, disruption of the available synaptic acetylcholine (ACh), using the inhibitor for choline uptake (hemicholinium-3), or the inhibitor for vesicular choline transport (vesamicol), abolished the metabolic actions of P. ginseng root. Conversely, physostigmine, at a concentration sufficient to inhibit acetylcholinesterase, enhanced the metabolic effect of P. ginseng root. It is possible that P. ginseng root mediates the release of ACh from nerve terminals to enhance insulin secretion. Blockade of the actions of P. ginseng root by 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperdine methiodide (4-DAMP) suggested that the site of action is the muscarinic M(3) receptor. Taken together, the results suggest that P. ginseng root has the ability to increase the release of ACh from nerve terminals in rats so as to stimulate muscarinic M(3) receptors activity located in the pancreatic cells for the secretion of insulin, which in turn lower plasma glucose. PMID: 17123721 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Pesticide multiresidue analysis in Panax ginseng (C. A. Meyer) by solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography with electron capture and nitrogen-phosphorus detection.Natural Products Chemistry Laboratory, Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, Chonnam National University, 300 Yong-Bong Dong, Buk-Ku, Gwangju 500-757, Republic of Korea. An analytical multi-residue method using gas chromatography coupled with electron capture and a nitrogen-phosphorus detector was investigated for the simultaneous determination of 18 commonly used insecticides and fungicides in Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer). Samples were previously extracted with an acetonitrile and cleaned up by solid-phase extraction (SPE). The calibration curves were linear, with determination coefficients higher than 0.989. Recoveries at concentrations between 0.01 and 14.9 ppm ranged from 72.3 to 117.2%, with precision, which was expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), at values lower than 5%. The proposed method was applied to the determination of pesticide levels from 12 ginseng samples, taken from four different agricultural areas of Jeonnam province, where several insecticides and fungicides were applied. Except in one sample, tolclofos-m was the only pesticide contained at a level lower than the maximum residue limits (MRL) authorized by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) in real ginseng samples grown for 4, 5 and 6 years. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID: 17120302 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Simultaneous determination of seven active components of Fufang Danshen tablet by high performance liquid chromatography.MOE Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicines and Department of Pharmacognosy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210039, People's Republic of China. A high-performance liquid chromatography method was established for simultaneously determining seven major components, i.e. protocatechuic aldehyde, notoginsenoside R(1), ginsenoside Rg(1), salvianolic acid B, ginsenoside Rb(1), cryptotanshinone and tanshinone IIA in Fufang Danshen tablet, a commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal combined prescription mainly derived from the roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza and Panax notoginseng. These seven compounds, belonging to the chemical types of phenolic acids, diterpenoid quinones and saponins, were simultaneously separated on Zorbax C(18) column (250 x 4.6 mm, 5.0 microm) with the column temperature at 30 degrees C. The mobile phase was composed of (A) aqueous phosphoric acid (0.1%, v/v) and (B) acetonitrile using a gradient elution of 7-17% B at 0-10 min, 17-20% B at 10-12 min, 20-21% B at 12-16 min, 21% B at 16-32 min, 21-29% B at 32-40 min, 29-35% B at 40-55 min, 35-65% B at 55-65 min and 65-80% B at 65-80 min; the flow rate was 1.0 mL/min. Detection wavelengths were set at 203 nm for notoginsenoside R(1), ginsenoside Rg(1) and ginsenoside Rb(1), 281 nm for protocatechuic aldehyde, salvianolic acid B, and 270 nm for cryptotanshinone and tanshinone IIA. All calibration curves showed good linear regression (r(2) > 0.9992) within test ranges. The established method showed good precision and accuracy with overall intra-day and inter-day variations of 0.15-4.35 and 0.61-5.17% respectively, and overall recoveries of 94.8-102.1% for the seven compounds analyzed. The developed method has been successfully applied to simultaneous evaluation of the intrinsic quality of both Danshen and Sanqi in Fufang Danshen tablets from different pharmaceutical companies. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID: 17120299 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Adjuvant effects of protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol saponins from ginseng roots on the immune responses to ovalbumin in mice.Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310029, China. Protopanaxadiol saponins (Rg3, Rd, Rc, Rb1 and Rb2) and protopanaxatriol saponins (Rg1, Re and Rg2) isolated from the root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer were evaluated for their adjuvant effects on the immune responses to ovalbumin (OVA) in mice. BALB/c mice were subcutaneously injected twice at a 3-week interval with 10mug of ovalbumin or 10mug of OVA plus 50mug of ginsenosides Rg3, Rd, Rc, Rb1, Rb2, Rg1, Re or Rg2 or Quil A (n=5). Blood samples were collected for measuring specific total-IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a, and splenocytes were harvested for determining lymphocyte proliferation as well as IFN-gamma and IL-5 production 2 weeks after the boosting. The results indicated that OVA-specific antibody responses were significantly higher in mice immunized with OVA co-administered with Rg1, Re, Rg2, Rg3 and Rb1 but not with Rd, Rc and Rb2 when compared with the control (immunized with OVA only). Significantly enhanced splenocyte proliferative responses to Con A, LPS and OVA as well as the production of both IL-5 and IFN-gamma stimulated by OVA were also detected in mice immunized with OVA co-administered with Rg1 but not with Rb1, Re and Rg3. Of the ginsenosides studied, Rg1, Re, Rg2, Rg3 and Rb1 have more potent adjuvant properties than the others, indicating that they are the major constituents contributing to the adjuvant activities of total ginseng saponins. Varieties of ginsenosides in adjuvant activity might be attributed to the varieties of molecular conformations determined by the side sugar chains attaching to their dammarane skeleton. PMID: 17069940 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Analysis of dencichine in Panax notoginseng by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with ethyl chloroformate derivatization.School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China. Dencichine (beta-N-oxalyl-l-alpha,beta-diaminopropionic acid) is a haemostatic agent present in well-known traditional Chinese medicinal herbs such as Panax notoginseng, as well as other Panax species. It is also a reported neurotoxic agent found in Lathyrus sativus (grass pea seed) and cycad seeds. A method was developed for quantitative determination of the non-protein amino acid, dencichine, in plant samples of P. notoginseng and the adventitious roots directly from the explants of P. notoginseng after derivatization with ethyl chloroformate (ECF) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). l-2-chlorophenylalanine was used as an internal standard. Calibration curves were linear (r(2)=0.9988, n=6) in the range of 10-800mug/ml for dencichine. Limit of detection and quantification for dencichine were 0.5mug/ml and 2mug/ml, respectively. This rapid and specific method may be applied to the quantification of dencichine in complex medicinal plants and their products. PMID: 17029672 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Notoginseng enhances anti-cancer effect of 5-fluorouracil on human colorectal cancer cells.Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research, The University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, MC 4028, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA. PURPOSE: Panax notoginseng is a commonly used Chinese herb. Although a few studies have found that notoginseng shows anti-tumor effects, the effect of this herb on colorectal cancer cells has not been investigated. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of colorectal cancer that interferes with the growth of cancer cells. However, this compound has serious side effects at high doses. In this study, using HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cell line, we investigated the possible synergistic anti-cancer effects between notoginseng flower extract (NGF) and 5-FU on colon cancer cells. METHODS: The anti-proliferation activity of these modes of treatment was evaluated by MTS cell proliferation assay. Apoptotic effects were analyzed by using Hoechst 33258 staining and Annexin-V/PI staining assays. The anti-proliferation effects of four major single compounds from NGF, ginsenosides Rb1, Rb3, Rc and Rg3 were also analyzed. RESULTS: Both 5-FU and NGF inhibited proliferation of HCT-116 cells. With increasing doses of 5-FU, the anti-proliferation effect was slowly increased. The combined usage of 5-FU 5 muM and NGF 0.25 mg/ml, significantly increased the anti-proliferation effect (59.4 +/- 3.3%) compared with using the two medicines separately (5-FU 5 muM, 31.1 +/- 0.4%; NGF 0.25 mg/ml, 25.3 +/- 3.6%). Apoptotic analysis showed that at this concentration, 5-FU did not exert an apoptotic effect, while apoptotic cells induced by NGF were observed, suggesting that the anti-proliferation target(s) of NGF may be different from that of 5-FU, which is known to inhibit thymidilate synthase. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that NGF can enhance the anti-proliferation effect of 5-FU on HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cells and may decrease the dosage of 5-FU needed for colorectal cancer treatment. PMID: 17009031 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Mesothelium regeneration on acellular bovine pericardia loaded with an angiogenic agent (ginsenoside Rg1) successfully reduces postsurgical pericardial adhesions.Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Veterans General Hospital-Taichung and the College of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to reduce postsurgical pericardial adhesions with porous acellular bovine pericardia loaded with ginsenoside Rg1, an angiogenic agent isolated from Panax ginseng (the Acellular/Rg1 patch). METHODS: The acellular/Rg1 patch was used as a substitute to repair a defect created in the pericardium of a rabbit model. A commercially available expanded polytetrafluoroethylene patch, the cellular pericardium (the cellular patch), and the acellular pericardium without loading Rg1 (the acellular patch) were used as controls. The implanted samples were retrieved at 1 and 3 months after surgery (n = 5 per group at each time point). RESULTS: It was found that each side of the implanted patch could be remesothelialized provided that regeneration of neo-tissue fibrils occurred initially on its surfaces. Because remesothelialization did not take place on the surfaces of the expanded polytetrafluoroethylene and cellular patches, moderate to severe adhesions to the lung and epicardium were clearly observed. As compared with the cellular patch, the acellular patch significantly reduced postsurgical pericardial adhesions, especially on its lung side, as a result of remesothelialization. In the presence of Rg1, a faster remesothelialization was observed on each side of the acellular/Rg1 patch. Therefore, the acellular/Rg1 patch was free of any adhesions to the lung; however, there was still a filmy adhesion to the epicardium observed in 3 of the 5 studied animals at 3 months after surgery, due to incomplete remesothelialization. CONCLUSIONS: The acellular/Rg1 patch effectively repaired pericardial defects in rabbits and successfully reduced the formation of pericardial adhesions. PMID: 17000299 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Dammarenediol-II synthase, the first dedicated enzyme for ginsenoside biosynthesis, in Panax ginseng.Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. Panax ginseng produces triterpene saponins called ginsenosides, which are classified into two groups by the skeleton of aglycones, namely dammarane type and oleanane type. Dammarane-type ginsenosides dominate over oleanane type not only in amount but also in structural varieties. However, their sapogenin structure is restricted to two aglycones, protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol. So far, the genes encoding oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC) responsible for formation of dammarane skeleton have not been cloned, although OSC yielding oleanane skeleton (beta-amyrin synthase) has been successfully cloned from this plant. In this study, cDNA cloning of OSC producing dammmarane triterpene was attempted from hairy root cultures of P. ginseng by homology based PCR method. A new OSC gene (named as PNA) obtained was expressed in a lanosterol synthase deficient (erg7) Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain GIL77. LC-MS and NMR analyses identified the accumulated product in the yeast transformant to be dammarenediol-II, demonstrating PNA to encode dammarenediol-II synthase. PMID: 16962103 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] 20(S)-Ginsenoside Rg3 prevents endothelial cell apoptosis via inhibition of a mitochondrial caspase pathway.Department of Biochemistry, College of Sciences, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Ginseng, refering to the roots of the species of the genus Panax ginseng, has been widely used in traditional oriental medicine for its wide spectrum of medicinal effects, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tumorigenic, adaptogenic, and anti-aging activities. Many of its medicinal effects are attributed to the triterpene glycosides known as ginsenosides. In this study, we report a novel anti-apoptotic activity of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3 ((20S)Rg3) and its underlying molecular mechanism in human endothelial cells (ECs). ECs undergo apoptosis associated with increased LEHDase (caspase-9) and DEVDase (caspase-3) activity and DNA fragmentation after 24h of serum deprivation. These apoptotic markers were suppressed by the addition of (20S)Rg3. (20S)Rg3 increased the expression of Bax and conversely decreased Bcl-2. (20S)Rg3 potently induced a rapid and sustained Akt activation and Bad phosphorylation, resulting in the inhibition of mitochondrial cytochrome c release. These anti-apoptotic activities of (20S)Rg3 were significantly abrogated in cells expressing dominant negative Akt. Taken together, our results suggest that (20S)Rg3 prevents EC apoptosis via Akt-dependent inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptotic signaling pathway. The novel property of (20S)Rg3 may be valuable for developing new pharmaceutical means that will control unwanted endothelial cell death at the site of vascular injury. PMID: 16962070 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Pharmacological properties of traditional medicine (XXXII): protective effects of hangeshashinto and the combinations of its major constituents on gastric lesions in rats.Department of Kampo Medicinal Science, Hokkaido Pharmacutical University, Otaru, Japan. kkawa38@hokuyakudai.ac.jp The protective effect of Hangeshashinto (HST) and its major constituents, baicalin (BA), berberine (BE), saponin fraction of ginseng (GS) and glycyrrhizin (GL) on rat gastric lesion induced by ethanol was examined to clarify its active ingredients and action mechanism. Oral treatment with HST at the doses of 125 and 250 mg/kg suppressed ethanol-induced gastric lesions. The mixture of BA, BE, GL and GS (4M), each of BE, GL and GS at the dosage corresponded to HST (125 mg/kg) also suppressed the ethanol-induced gastric lesion in rats, but BA did not. Treatment of ethanol augmented the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the stomach, which was significantly suppressed by the administration of HST, BE, GL and GS. These results suggest that the protective effect of HST on ethanol-induced gastric lesion was depended on BE, GL and GS, by, in part, the reduction of MPO activity in stomach. PMID: 16946521 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Inhibitory effects of Korean red ginseng and its genuine constituents ginsenosides Rg3, Rf, and Rh2 in mouse passive cutaneous anaphylaxis reaction and contact dermatitis models.Department of Food and Nutrition, Kyung Hee University, Hoegi, Dongdaemun-ku, Seoul, Korea. The inhibitory effects of the Korean red ginseng (steamed root of Panax ginseng C.A. MEYER, family Araliaceae) saponin fraction (KRGS) and its constituents ginsenosides Rg3, Rf, and Rh2 in mouse passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) and contact dermatitis models were measured. Orally administered KRGS and its genuine ginsenosides potently inhibited the PCA reaction induced by IgE. However, when these ginsenosides were intraperitoneally administered, ginsenoside Rh2 showed the most potent inhibition. The ginsenoside Rh2 also the most potently inhibited the beta-hexosaminidase release from RBL-2H3 cells induced by IgE with antigen. KRGS administered topically at a dose of 0.1% suppressed ear swelling in an oxazolone-induced mouse contact dermatitis model by 38.8%. Its constituents ginsenosides Rg3, Rf, and Rh2 at a concentration of 0.05% also potently suppressed mouse ear swelling by 47.5%, 34.8%, and 49.9% at 16 d, respectively. These ginsenosides also significantly reduced mRNA expression levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, interleukin (IL)-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma induced by oxazolone applied to mouse ears. However, the ginsenosides, except for ginsenoside Rh2, almost did not notably reduce IL-4 levels. The ginsenoside Rh2 also potently inhibited COX-2 and inducible NO synthetase protein expression in liphopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Based on these findings, KRGS and its ginsenosides are suggested to improve atopic and contact dermatitis by regulating expression of cytokines. PMID: 16946499 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Yo Jyo Hen Shi Ko (YHK) improves transaminases in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): a randomized pilot study.Division of Gastroenterology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada. nchande2@uwo.ca NASH is a common condition with a rising incidence. There is progression to cirrhosis in some cases and the potential for mortality or requirement of liver transplantation. Currently, there is no approved therapy for NASH. The natural compound YHK has both anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic properties, and can lead to improvement in transaminases in viral hepatitis. Improvement in transaminases may correlate with improved histology in NASH and hence may impact on the natural history. We sought to determine the effects of YHK on NASH. We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study to determine the effects of YHK on transaminases and on quality of life (QoL) in patients with biopsy-confirmed NASH and a persistently abnormal ALT or AST. Eight patients were randomized to YHK or placebo for 8 weeks. The ALT and AST were measured at baseline and weeks 4, 8, and 12. SF-36 surveys were serially completed. All five patients in the YHK group but none in the placebo group had a marked decrease in ALT at both week 4 and week 8 compared to baseline. After discontinuing YHK the ALT returned toward baseline at week 12. The mean decrease in ALT compared to baseline was significantly greater in the YHK group than in the placebo group at both week 4 (-42.8+/-23.2 vs. -6.3+/-6.7 U/L; P=0.036) and week 8 (-45.4+/-23.4 vs. 6.0+/-24.6 U/L; P=0.036). There was also a nonsignificant decrease in AST in the YHK group compared to placebo. QoL was not affected and no severe adverse events were reported. In this controlled pilot study we found the novel nutraceutical agent YHK to be effective at reducing ALT values in patients with NASH. YHK is well tolerated. Further studies are justified to assess the impact of YHK in the natural history of NASH. PMID: 16944007 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] In vitro anti-cancer activity and structure-activity relationships of natural products isolated from fruits of Panax ginseng.Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Cancer Pharmacology Laboratory, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA. PURPOSE: Panax ginseng and its extracts have long been used for medical purposes; there is increasing interest in developing ginseng products as cancer preventive or therapeutic agents. The present study was designed to determine biological structure-activity relationships (SAR) for saponins present in Panax ginseng fruits. METHODS: Eleven saponins were extracted from P. ginseng fruits and purified by use of D(101) resin and ordinary and reverse-phase silica gel column chromatography. Their chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical constants and NMR spectra. Compounds were then evaluated for SAR with their in vitro cytotoxicity against several human cancer cell lines. RESULTS: The 11 compounds were identified as 20(R)-dammarane-3beta,12beta,20,25-tetrol (25-OH-PPD, 1); 20(R)-dammarane-3beta,6alpha,12beta,20,25-pentol (25-OH-PPT, 2); 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD, 3); daucosterine 4, 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rh(2) (Rh(2), 5); 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rg(3) (Rg(3,) 6); 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rg(2) (Rg(2), 7); 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rg(1) (Rg(1), 8); 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rd (Rd, 9); 20(S)-ginsenoside-Re (Re, 10); and 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rb(1) (Rb(1), 11). Among the eleven compounds, 1, 3 and 5 were the most effective inhibitors of cell growth and proliferation and inducers of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. For 1, the IC(50) values for most cell lines were in the range of 10-60 muM, at least twofold lower than for any of the other compounds. Compounds 1 and 3 had significant, dose-dependent effects on apoptosis, proliferation, and cell cycle progression. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the type of dammarane, the number of sugar moieties, and differences in the substituent groups affect their anti-cancer activity. This information may be useful for evaluating the structure/function relationship of other ginsenosides and their aglycones and for development of novel anticancer agents. PMID: 16924497 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] Prevention of cerebral oxidative injury by post-ischemic intravenous administration of Shengmai San.Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, Department of Functional and Analytical Food Sciences, Higashijima 265-1, Niigata-city, Niigata, 956-8603, Japan. Shengmai San (SMS) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) comprising three different herbal components, Panax ginseng, Ohiopogon japonicus and Fructus schisandrae and has been used for treating coronary heart diseases (Bensky and Barolet, 1990). It was shown that SMS effectively prevented cerebral oxidative injury in rats when it administered into the duodenum before cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. In the present study, we examined whether post-ischemic administration of SMS can ameliorate cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats as well. Results showed that SMS injected immediately after ischemia also prevented the ischemia-reperfusion injury, when the effect was evaluated by the formation of protein carbonyl and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), and the loss of glutathione peroxidase (GPX). The preventative potential of SMS was decreased rapidly dependent on the time lag until SMS was injected after ischemia. However, it was noted that intravenously administered SMS protected the oxidative injury approximately 30% even after 60 min of reperfusion in terms of protein carbonyl formation. It is thus suggested that SMS injection might be useful for preventing the progression of injury in cerebral infarction after stroke. PMID: 16883630 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Protein chemotaxonomy. XIII. Amino acid sequence of ferredoxin from Panax ginseng.Department of Environmental Analysis, Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Japan. mino@gly.oups.ac.jp The complete amino acid sequence of [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin from Panax ginseng (Araliaceae) has been determined by automated Edman degradation of the entire S-carboxymethylcysteinyl protein and of the peptides obtained by enzymatic digestion. This ferredoxin has a unique amino acid sequence, which includes an insertion of Tyr at the 3rd position from the amino-terminus and a deletion of two amino acid residues at the carboxyl terminus. This ferredoxin had 18 differences in its amino acid sequence compared to that of Petroselinum sativum (Umbelliferae). In contrast, 23-33 differences were observed compared to other dicotyledonous plants. This suggests that Panax ginseng is related taxonomically to umbelliferous plants. PMID: 16880642 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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