Quantitative aspects of the hydrolysis of ginseng saponins: Application in HPLC-MS analysis of herbal products

Application of the Analytical Procedure Lifecycle Concept to a Quantitative 1H NMR Method for Total Dammarane-Type Saponins

Dammarane-type saponins (DTSs) exist in various medicinal plants, which are a class of active ingredients with effects on improving myocardial ischemia and immunomodulation. In this study, a quantitative ¹H NMR method of total DTSs in herbal medicines was developed based on the analytical procedure lifecycle. In the first stage (analytical procedure design), the Ishikawa diagram and failure mode effects and criticality analysis were used to conduct risk identification and risk ranking. Plackett-Burman design and central composite design were used to screen and optimize critical analytical procedure parameter. Then, the method operable design region was obtained through modeling. In the second stage (analytical procedure performance qualification), the performance of methodological indexes was investigated based on analytical quality by design. As examples of continued procedure performance verification, the method was successfully applied to determine the total DTSs in herbal pharmaceutical preparations and botanical extracts. As a general analytical method to quantify total DTSs in medicinal plants or pharmaceutical preparations, the developed method provides a new quality control strategy for various products containing dammarane-type saponin.

Production of Minor Ginsenoside CK from Major Ginsenosides by Biotransformation and Its Advances in Targeted Delivery to Tumor Tissues Using Nanoformulations

For over 2000 years, ginseng (roots of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) has been used as a traditional herbal medicine. Ginsenosides are bioactive compounds present in ginseng responsible for the pharmacological effects and curing various acute diseases as well as chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Structurally, ginsenosides consist of a hydrophobic aglycone moiety fused with one to four hydrophilic glycoside moieties. Based on the position of sugar units and their abundance, ginsenosides are classified into major and minor ginsenosides. Despite the great potential of ginsenosides, major ginsenosides are poorly absorbed in the blood circulation, resulting in poor bioavailability. Interestingly, owing to their small molecular weight, minor ginsenosides exhibit good permeability across cell membranes and bioavailability. However, extremely small quantities of minor ginsenosides extracted from ginseng plants cannot fulfill the requirement of scientific and clinical studies. Therefore, the production of minor ginsenosides in mass production is a topic of interest. In addition, their poor solubility and lack of targetability to tumor tissues limits their application in cancer therapy. In this review, various methods used for the transformation of major ginsenosides to minor ginsenoside compound K (CK) are summarized. For the production of CK, various transformation methods apply to major ginsenosides. The challenges present in these transformations and future research directions for producing bulk quantities of minor ginsenosides are discussed. Furthermore, attention is also paid to the utilization of nanoformulation technology to improve the bioavailability of minor ginsenoside CK.

Authentication of Panax Ginseng‑Based Herbal Teas Using “Chemical Markers” Strategy

This article describes the method development involved in the authentication of nutraceuticals, particularly those containing Panax ginseng, which is popular because of possible positive effects on human health. For this purpose, an analytical strategy based on a metabolomic approach was chosen. The aqueous methanolic extracts were analyzed using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC–HRMS). Generated data were processed by advanced statistical methods that enabled the specific markers for Panax ginseng and other plants that can be used for its adulteration (Gynostemma pentaphyllum, Withania somnifera, Eleutherococcus senticosus) to be found. The developed method is primarily intended for verifying the presence of Panax ginseng and its adulterants in Panax ginseng-based herbal teas.

Recent Advances in Separation and Analysis of Saponins in Natural Products

To better control the quality of saponins, ensure their biological activity and clinical therapeutic effect, and expand the development and application of saponins, this paper systematically and comprehensively reviews the separation and analytical methods of saponins in the past decade. Since 2010, the electronic databases of PubMed, Google Scholar, ISI Web of Science, Science Direct, Wiley, Springer, CNKI (National Knowledge Infrastructure, CNKI), Wanfang Med online, and other databases have been searched systematically. As a result, it is found that ionic liquids and high-performance countercurrent chromatography are the most popular extraction and separation techniques for saponins, and the combined chromatography technique is the most widely used method for the analysis of saponins. Liquid chromatography can be used in combination with different detectors to achieve qualitative or quantitative analysis and quality control of saponin compounds in medicinal materials and their preparations. This paper provides the latest valuable insights and references for the analytical methods and continued development and application of saponins.

Quality Distinguish of Red Ginseng from Different Origins by HPLC–ELSD/PDA Combined with HPSEC–MALLS–RID, Focus on the Sugar-Markers

Red ginseng (RG) has been extensively utilized in Asian countries due to its pharmacological effects. For the quality evaluation of RG, small molecules, such as ginsenosides, have been widely considered as candidates of its quality markers (Q-markers), and various analytical techniques have been developed in order to identify these compounds. However, despite the efforts to analyze the hydrophobic constituents, it is worth pointing out that about 60% of the mass of RG is made of carbohydrates, including mono-, oligo- and polysaccharides. Consequently, the quality differentiation and identification of RG from the perspective of sugar-markers should be focused. High performance liquid chromatography and evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC–ELSD) method for the determination of disaccharides in RG was established. Furthermore, high performance size exclusion chromatography–multi-angle laser light scattering–refractive index detector (HPSEC–MALLS–RID) for the determination of molecular weight and high performance liquid chromatography photodiode array (HPLC–PDA) for the determination of compositional monosaccharides in RG polysaccharides were also established. HPLC–ELSD/PDA combined with HPSEC–MALLS–RID could be used to determine the contents of disaccharides, molecular weights, and compositional monosaccharides of RG polysaccharides, which could be used for quality control, and this is a new view on the sugar marker to quality differentiation of various origins of RG.