Characterization of oxygenated metabolites of ginsenoside Rb1 in plasma and urine of rat

Existing Forms of Notoginsenoside R1 in Rats and Their Potential Bioactivities

Notoginsenoside R1 (NG-R1) is a primary active constituent in Panax notoginseng, a medicinal and edible plant. It is a saponin with protopanaxatriol (PPT) as its aglycone. UHPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS was used to clarify the existing forms of NG-R1 and their distributions in rats. The nomenclature of the ESI MS fragmentation pathway and ions of PPT was proposed for the first time. Totally, 105 metabolites with 89 new metabolites were identified. In terms of their LC-MS data, 7 were accurately identified by comparison with reference compounds, and 41 were clearly identified. Polyhydroxylation, pentosylation, acetylation, glucuronidation, and amino acid conjugation are new metabolic reactions of NG-R1. In total, 69, 48, 47, 43, 24, 15, and 7 metabolites were detected in the large intestine, stomach, small intestine, liver, lungs, kidneys, and heart, respectively. Then, 48 metabolites were predicted to be effective by PharmMapper, and their mechanisms of action on three diseases were predicted by network pharmacology. Finally, the antitumor effects on cell proliferation and the anti-inflammatory effects of the eight compounds were verified by cellular experiments. These results help further elucidate the in vivo existing forms of dammarane-type triterpenoids and form the basis for discovering their effective forms in the future.

A review for discovering bioactive minor saponins and biotransformative metabolites in Panax quinquefolius L

Panax quinquefolius L. has attracted extensive attention worldwide because of its prominent pharmacological properties on type 2 diabetes, cancers, central nervous system, and cardiovascular diseases. Ginsenosides are active phytochemicals of P. quinquefolius, which can be classified as propanaxdiol (PPD)-type, propanaxtriol (PPT)-type, oleanane-type, and ocotillol-type oligo-glycosides depending on the skeleton of aglycone. Recently, advanced analytical and isolated methods including ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem with mass detector, preparative high-performance liquid chromatography, and high speed counter-current chromatography have been used to isolate and identify minor components in P. quinquefolius, which accelerates the clarification of the material basis. However, the poor bioavailability and undetermined bio-metabolism of most saponins have greatly hindered both the development of medicines and the identification of their real active constituents. Thus, it is essential to consider the bio-metabolism of constituents before and after absorption. In this review, we described the structures of minor ginsenosides in P. quinquefolius, including naturally occurring protype compounds and their in vivo metabolites. The preclinical and clinical pharmacological studies of the ginsenosides in the past few years were also summarized. The review will promote the reacquaint of minor saponins on the growing appreciation of their biological role in P. quinquefolius.

Targeting Sirtuin 1 signaling pathway by ginsenosides

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Ginseng is a kind of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, known as "king of herbs" and widely used in China, South Korea, and other Asian countries. Ginsenosides are one of active components of Panax ginseng Meyer, which have many pharmacological effects, such as enhancing memory, improving immunity and cardiovascular system, delaying aging, and preventing cancer.

AIMS OF THE REVIEW

This review aims to summarize the recent findings for ginsenosides targeting Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) signaling pathway for the prevention and treatment of a series of diseases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An up-to-August 2020 search was carried out in databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and classic books of traditional Chinese medicine using the keywords: "SIRT1", and/or paired with "ginseng", and "ginsenosides".

RESULTS

SIRT1 is a class-III histone deacetylase (HDAC), a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺)-dependent enzyme, which is deeply involved in a series of pathological processes. Based on specific intracellular localization, SIRT1 has various cytoplasmic and nuclear targets and plays a potential role in energy metabolism, oxidative stress, inflammation, tumorigenesis, and aging. Ginsenosides are generally classified into three groups and microbially transformed to final metabolites. Among of them, most ginsenosides have been reported as SIRT1 activators, especially those ginsenosides with two glucopyranosyl groups on the C-3 position. Importantly, many ginsenosides can be used to prevent and treat oxidative stress, inflammation, aging, tumorigenesis, depression, and others by targeting SIRT1 signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper reviews recent evidences of ginsenosides targeting SIRT1 for the first time, which could provide new insights on the preclinical and clinical researches for ginsenosides against multiple disorders.

Systematic screening and characterization of Qi-Li-Qiang-Xin capsule-related xenobiotics in rats by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry

Qi-Li-Qiang-Xin capsule (QLQX), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription (TCMP), is consisted of eleven commonly used herbal medicines, has been widely used for the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF). However, the absorbed components and related metabolites after oral administration of QLQX are still remaining unknown. In the present work, a reliable and effective method using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS) was established to identify QLQX-related xenobiotics in rats. Based on a representative structure based homologous xenobiotics identification (RSBHXI) strategy, a total of eleven compounds (salvianolic acid B, formononetin, benzoylmesaconine, alisol A, sinapine thiocyanate, naringin, tanshinone IIA, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rb1, astragaloside IV and periplocin), bearing different chemical core structures, were selected and investigated for their metabolism in vivo. And then, comprehensive metabolic profiles of the holistic multi-ingredients in QLQX were achieved. As a result, a total of 121 QLQX-related xenobiotics (47 prototypes and 74 metabolites) were identified or tentatively characterized, among them eight prototypes (mesaconine, hypaconine, songorine, fuziline, neoline, talatizamine formononetin, neocryptotanshinone) and two metabolites (calycosin-gluA, formononetin-guA) were relatively the main existing xenobiotics exposed in blood. All absorbed prototype constituents were mainly from six composed herbal medicines (Aconiti lateralis radix, Astragali radix, Ginseng radix, Alismatis rhizoma, Salvia miltiorrhiza radix, Periploca cortex). The main metabolic reactions were methylation, hydrogenation, hydroxylation, oxidization, sulfation and glucuronidation. This is the first study on in vivo metabolism of QLQX. These results enabled us to focus on several high exposure ingredients in the discovery of effective substances of QLQX, however further pharmacokinetic study on these QLQX-related xenobiotics are needed to be carried out.

Ginsenoside Rb1 inhibits autophagy through regulation of Rho/ROCK and PI3K/mTOR pathways in a pressure-overload heart failure rat model

Objective

This study was designed to explore the relationship between ginsenoside Rb1 (Grb1) and high-load heart failure (HF) in rats.

Methods

The parameters of cardiac systolic function (left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPWT), left ventricular internal diastolic diameter (LVID), fraction shortening (FS) and mitral valves (MVs)) of rat hearts in each group were inspected by echocardiogram. The expressions of rat myocardial contractile proteins, autophagy-related proteins and the activation of Rho/ROCK and PI3K/mTOR pathways were detected by Western blot.

Key findings

LVPWT, FS, MVs and the expression of myocardial contractile proteins α-MHC, apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2 and signalling pathway involved proteins pAkt and mTOR were significantly reduced in the HF, HF+5 mg/kg Grb1 (HF+Grb1-5) and HF+Grb1+arachidonic acid (AA) groups with LVID, β-MHC, cell apoptosis, cell autophagy and Rho/ROCK significantly increased compared with the control group, of which the tendency was contrary to the HF+20 mg/kg Grb1 (HF+Grb1-20) group compared with the HF group (P < 0.05). In the HF+Grb1+AA group, there was no significant change in the above indexes compared with the HF group.

Conclusions

The results indicated that Grb1 can exert anti-HF function by inhibiting cardiomyocyte autophagy of rats through regulation of Rho/ROCK and PI3K/mTOR pathways.

Changbai Mountain Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Mey) Extract Supplementation Improves Exercise Performance and Energy Utilization and Decreases Fatigue-Associated Parameters in Mice

Changbai Mountain Ginseng (CMG, Panax ginseng C.A. Mey) is a traditional medicine commonly found in Northeast China and grows at elevations of 2000 m or higher in the Changbai Mountain Range. CMG, considered to be a "buried treasure medicine", is priced higher than other types of ginseng. However, few studies have demonstrated the effects of CMG supplementation on exercise performance, physical fatigue, and the biochemical profile. The major compound of CMG extract was characterized by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). Male ICR mice were divided into 3 groups, the vehicle, CMG-1X and CMG-5X groups (n = 8 per group), and respectively administered 0, 5, or 25 mg/kg/day of CMG extract orally for four weeks. HPLC-ESI-MS/MS results showed that the major compound in CMG extract is ginsenoside Ro. CMG extract significantly increased muscle weight and relative muscle weight (%). CMG extract supplementation dose-dependently increased grip strength (p < 0.0001) and endurance swimming time, decreased levels of serum lactate (p < 0.0001), ammonia (p < 0.0001), creatine kinase (CK, p = 0.0002), and blood urea nitrogen (p < 0.0001), and economized glucose levels (p < 0.0001) after acute exercise challenge. The glycogen in the gastrocnemius muscle was significantly increased with CMG extract treatment. Biochemical profile results showed that creatinine and triacylglycerol significantly decreased and total protein and glucose increased with CMG treatment. This is the first report that CMG extract supplementation increases muscle mass, improves exercise performance and energy utilization, and decreases fatigue-associated parameters in vivo. The major component of CMG extract is ginsenoside Ro, which could be a potential bioactive compound for use as an ergogenic aid ingredient by the food industry.

Chemical Modification of Ginsenoside on Cell Viability and Cytokine Secretion

BACKGROUND

Rb1 is a ginsenoside steroid glycoside found exclusively in the plant Panax ginseng. In an earlier report, we showed that Rb1 increased cell proliferation and reduced VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) secretion by human retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE19) cells.

OBJECTIVE

In the present study, we hypothesized that chemical modification of Rb1 changes the level of VEGF secretion by ARPE19 cells.

METHOD

Three derivatives of Rb1 were chemically synthesized by hydrogenation (Rb1-H2), acetylation (Rb1-Acyl), and epoxidation (Rb1-Epoxy). Structural modifications were confirmed by 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectra and Mass Spectrometry (MS). To test the biological activity, chemically modified compounds were added to cell culture media and incubated for 72 hours at a concentration of 250 nM at 37°C. Conditioned media were collected and cells were harvested/ counted after treatment. Viable cell numbers were determined by the trypan blue dye exclusion method and VEGF levels by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA).

RESULTS

Consistent with the prior report, results of the present study show Rb1 increased cell proliferation and decreased VEGF secretion. Similar to Rb1's effect on cell proliferation, treatment with Rb1-H2, Rb1-Acyl and Rb1-Epoxy resulted in an increase in cell numbers. In contrast to Rb1- induced decrease in VEGF secretion, treatment with Rb1-H2, Rb-Acyl and Rb1-Epoxy resulted in increased VEGF levels.

CONCLUSION

Chemical modifications of the ginsenoside Rb1 significantly affect the biological activity of VEGF secretion by ARPE19 cells. Additional SAR (Structure Activity Relationship) experiments will be conducted to study the detailed mechanisms by which how specific modifications of Rb1 functional groups alter biological activities.

Semisynthesis and bioactive evaluation of oxidized products from 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3, Rh2, protopanaxadiol (PPD) and their 20(R)-epimers as cytotoxic agents

A series of oxidized products have been systematically semisynthesized from 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3, Rh2, 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) and their 20(R)-epimers and the majority of these products were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against HeLa cells and HepG2 cells by MTT assay for the first time. Twenty-two products were obtained and elucidated based on comprehensive (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, two-dimensional (2D) NMR, and mass spectral data and the results reported in previous literature. All the four ocotillol type saponins (20S,24R(δ86, δ85); 20S,24S(δ87, δ88); 20R,24R(δ86, δ86); 20R,24S(δ86, δ87) were obtained. In addition, eight compounds (3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 19 and 22) with the cyclized side chain were firstly identified. Most of the tested compounds possessed cytotoxicity to a certain degree against the two types of cells which implied these oxidized products could play a certain role on anti-cancer functions of the raw materials in vivo. Meanwhile, the results proved that the configurations at C-20 or C-24 and the number of glycosyl at C-3 have important influence on the cytotoxicity. The products 1, 2, 11-17, 20 and 22 should possess great activities and deserved further investigation as potential cytotoxic agents.

Analysis of the Constituents in "Zhu She Yong Xue Shuan Tong" by Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Combined with Preparative High Performance Liquid Chromatography

“Zhu She Yong Xue Shuan Tong” lyophilized powder (ZSYXST), consists of a series of saponins extracted from Panax notoginseng, which has been widely used in China for the treatment of strokes. In this study, an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS) combined with preparative high performance liquid chromatography (PHPLC) method was developed to rapidly identify both major and minor saponins in ZSYXST. Some high content components were removed through PHPLC in order to increase the sensitivity of the trace saponins. Then, specific characteristic fragment ions in both positive and negative mode were utilized to determine the types of aglycone, saccharide, as well as the saccharide chain linkages. As a result, 94 saponins, including 20 pairs of isomers and ten new compounds, which could represent higher than 98% components in ZSYXST, were identified or tentatively identified in commercial ZSYXST samples.

Metabolic profile of Yi-Xin-Shu capsule in rat by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry analysis

In this study, the metabolite profiles of YXS in different biofluids of rats were investigated.

Recent trends of nano bioactive compounds from ginseng for its possible preventive role in chronic disease models

Bioactive nano ginseng has roles in various diseases.