American and Korean ginseng tissue cultures: growth, chemical analysis, and plantlet production

Simplified extraction of ginsenosides from American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) for high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet analysis

Four methods were tested for extraction and recovery of six major ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, and Rg1) found in roots of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius): method A, sonication in 100% methanol (MeOH) at room temperature (rt); method B, sonication in 70% aqueous MeOH at rt; method C, water extraction (90 degrees C) with gentle agitation; and method D, refluxing (60 degrees C) in 100% MeOH. After 0.5-1 h, the samples were filtered and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV. A second extraction by methods C and D was done, but 85-90% of ginsenosides were obtained during the first extraction. Lyophilization of extracts did not influence ginsenoside recovery. Method D resulted in the highest significant recoveries of all ginsenosides, except Rg1. Method C was the next most effective method, while method A resulted in the lowest ginsenoside recoveries. Method B led to similar recoveries as method C. All methods used one filtration step, omitted time-consuming cleanup, but maintained clear peak resolution by HPLC, and can be used for quantitative screening of ginsenosides from roots and commercial ginseng preparations.

Production of ginseng and its bioactive components in plant cell culture: current technological and applied aspects

Ginseng (the root of Panax ginseng CA Mayer) is a valuable oriental herb, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, both as a disease-healing drug and a general tonic. The medicinal value of ginseng is now also widely recognized in the west and the world ginseng market is expanding. The current supply of ginseng depends mainly on field cultivation, which is a slow and laborious process. Plant cell and tissue culture methods have been explored as potentially more efficient alternatives for the mass production of ginseng and its bioactive components. Research into ginseng cell and tissue cultures started in the early 1960s and commercial applications have been underway since the late 1980s. The ginseng cell culture has continued to attract considerable research and development effort in recent years as scientists seek to understand and optimize the culture conditions. In this paper, we review recent studies on ginseng cell culture processes, focusing on the physiological and bioengineering factors affecting the productivity of ginseng biomass and useful metabolites (e.g. ginseng saponin and polysaccharide) and the progress and concerns in large-scale applications.

Plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis in root-derived callus of ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer)

Callus culture was initiated from expiants of mature root tissues of ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) on MS medium enriched with 2,4-D. The ageing callus produced numerous embryoids in this medium. Reculture of these embryoids in media (1/2 MS or B5) supplemented with benzyladenine and gibberellic acid resulted in profuse plantlet regeneration.

Production of biologicals by plant cell cultures

The biologicals currently produced from plants are generally low molecular weight chemicals such as drug compounds rather than high molecular weight compounds such as proteins. The reasons for considering a fermentation technology based on plant cell cultures have been described. The state of technology of plant cell cultures is sufficiently advanced to suggest that the major questions remaining are economic rather than primarily technical. Limited analysis of the economics of commercial production of biologicals by plant cell cultures shows that a commercial process is certainly feasible.