Advances in Ginsenosides

Chinese patent medicine Tongxinluo: A review on chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, quality control, and clinical applications

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (CCVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, imposing a significant economic burden on individuals and societies. For the past few years, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has attracted much attention due to its advantages such as fewer side effects in the treatment of CCVD. TXL has shown great promise in the treatment of CCVD.

PURPOSE

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to TXL, covering its chemical constituents, quality control, pharmacological properties, adverse reactions, and clinical applications through an extensive search of relevant electronic databases while discussing its current challenges and provides opinions for future study.

METHODS

The following electronic databases were searched up to 2023: "TXL", "CCVD", "Chemical constituents", "Quality control" and "Pharmacological properties" were entered as keywords in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database and WANFANG DATA databases. The PRISMA guidelines were followed in this review process.

RESULTS

Studies have confirmed that TXL is effective in treating patients with CCVD and has fewer adverse effects. The aim of this review is to explore TXL anti-CCVD effects in relation to oxidative stress, lipid metabolism and enhanced cardiac function. This review also provides additional information on safety issues.

CONCLUSION

TXL plays a key role in the treatment of CCVD by regulating various pathways such as lipid metabolism, oxidative stress and inflammation. However, further clinical trials and animal experiments are needed to provide more evidence and recommendations for its clinical application. This article provides an overview of TXL research to inform and inspire future studies.

Facile engineering of resveratrol nanoparticles loaded with 20(S)-protopanaxadiol for the treatment of periodontitis by regulating the macrophage phenotype

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease, mainly caused by the formation of a subgingival plaque biofilm. In recent years, growing attention has been paid to immunotherapy in the treatment of periodontitis, and the importance of communal intervention associated with macrophage polarization was emphasized. Herein, resveratrol (RES) and 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) were successfully self-assembled into RES@PPD nanoparticles (NPs) by the phenolic resin reaction. RES@PPD NPs have good stability and biocompatibility. The combined application of PPD and RES enhances the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of nanocomposites, remarkably reduces the level of reactive oxygen species, and finally realizes the coordinated regulation of host immunity in periodontitis. The detailed mechanism is as follows: RES@PPD NPs inhibit M1 polarization of macrophages, promote M2 polarization by scavenging ROS, and then inhibit the NF-κB signalling pathway to regulate host immunity. In the animal model of periodontitis, RES@PPD NPs can remarkably decrease the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, up-regulate the anti-inflammatory cytokines, and exhibit a profound therapeutic effect on local inflammation. Therefore, RES@PPD NPs are effective in antioxidation and anti-inflammation, thus providing a promising candidate drug for the treatment of periodontitis.

Characterization of Ginsenosides from the Root of Panax ginseng by Integrating Untargeted Metabolites Using UPLC-Triple TOF-MS

To compare the chemical distinctions of Panax ginseng Meyer in different growth environments and explore the effects of growth-environment factors on P. ginseng growth, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem triple quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Triple-TOF-MS/MS) was used to characterize the ginsenosides obtained by ultrasonic extraction from P. ginseng grown in different growing environments. Sixty-three ginsenosides were used as reference standards for accurate qualitative analysis. Cluster analysis was used to analyze the differences in main components and clarified the influence of growth environment factors on P. ginseng compounds. A total of 312 ginsenosides were identified in four types of P. ginseng, among which 75 were potential new ginsenosides. The number of ginsenosides in L15 was the highest, and the number of ginsenosides in the other three groups was similar, but it was a great difference in specie of ginsenosides. The study confirmed that different growing environments had a great influence on the constituents of P. ginseng, and provided a new breakthrough for the further study of the potential compounds in P. ginseng.

Shengmai san-derived compound prescriptions: A review on chemical constituents, pharmacokinetic studies, quality control, and pharmacological properties

BACKGROUND

Shengmai San Formula (SMS), composed of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Ophiopogon Radix and Schisandra chinensis Fructus, was a famous formula in Tradition Chinese Medicine (TCM). With the expansion of clinical applications, SMS was developed to different dosage forms, including Shengmai Yin Oral liquid (SMY), Shengmai Capsule (SMC), Shengmai Granule (SMG), Shengmai Injection (SMI) and Dengzhan Shengmai Capsule (DZSMC). These above SMS-derived compound prescriptions (SSCPs) play an important role in the clinical treatment. This review is aimed to providing a comprehensive perspective of SSCP.

METHODS

The relevant literatures were collected from classical TCM books and a variety of databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Springer Link, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data.

RESULTS

The chemical constituents of SSCPs, arrived from the individual medicinal materials including Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Ophiopogon Radix, Schisandra chinensis Fructus, Erigerontis Herba, were firstly summarized respectively. Then the pharmacokinetics studies, quality control, and pharmacological properties of SSCPs were all reviewed. The active compounds, pharmacokinetics characterizes, quality control markers, the effects and mechanisms of pharmacology of the different dosage forms of SSCPs were summarized. Furthermore, the research deficiencies of SSCPs and an innovative research paradigm for Chinese materia medica (CMM) formula were proposed.

CONCLUSIONS

SMS, as a famous CMM formula, has great values in drug research and in clinical treatment especially for cardiocerebrovascular diseases. This article firstly make a comprehensive and systematic review on SMS.

Biometrics Data Visualization of Ginsenosides in Anticancer Investigations

Ginsenoside extracts have been shown to have anticancer effects by a growing number of studies and have thus become a hot topic in cancer research. Our study used VOSviewer and CiteSpace softwares to conduct a bibliometric approach to co-citation and co-occurrence analysis of countries, institutions, authors, references, and keywords in the field of cancer research to investigate the current status and trends of ginsenosides research in cancer. The web of science core collection (WoSCC) contained a total of 1102 papers. China made the most contributions in this area, with the most publications (742, 67.3%), and collaborated closely with Korea and the USA. The Journal of Ginseng Research, with the most total citations (1607) and an IF of 6.06, is the leading journal in the field of ginsenoside and cancer research, publishing high quality articles. Saponin and its extracts inhibit oxidative stress, promote apoptosis, and inhibits chemotherapy resistance by ginsenosides, all of which are hot research areas in this field. In the coming years, it is expected that the combination of ginsenosides and nanoparticles, in-depth mechanisms of cancer inhibition, and targeted therapy will receive widespread attention.

Effects of combination therapy with Shenfu Injection in critically ill patients with septic shock receiving mechanical ventilation: A multicentric, real-world study

Background: Septic shock has increasingly become a cause of death threatening human survival. Shenfu Injection (SFI), a patented Chinese medicine, has been widely used in the treatment of patients with sepsis and cardiovascular diseases domestically. We sought to examine whether combination therapy with SFI can improve clinical outcomes in critically ill patients undergoing mechanical ventilation (MV).

Methods: This real-world, multicenter retrospective trial enrolled consecutive adult patients with sepsis requiring MV from four medical/surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in China between August 2016 and September 2021. Patients were identified from the medical information department database of each center and assigned to either of two groups (SFI or control) on the basis of the initial treatment received. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality, and the durations of vasopressor therapy and MV, the ICU length of stay, and costs were assessed as secondary outcomes. Subsequently, we performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on SFI published before July 2021 to verify our conclusions.

Results: 2311 mechanically ventilated patients with septic shock (1128 patients in the SFI group and 1183 in the control group) were analyzed. The survival probability during the first 28 days after admission in the SFI group was greater than that in the control group [p < 0.01 by log-rank test; hazard ratio (HR), 0.56; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.39–0.72]. Patients in the SFI group also experienced a significantly reduced duration of vasopressor therapy [7.28 (95% CI, 6.14–8.42) vs. 12.06 (95% CI, 10.71–13.41) days, p < 0.001], more ventilator-free days [6.49 (95% CI, 5.42–7.55) vs. 10.84 (95% CI, 9.59–12.09) days, p < 0.001], a shorter ICU length of stay [18.48 (95% CI, 17.59–19.38) vs. 23.77 (95% CI, 22.47–25.07) days, p < 0.001], and more time free from organ failure [14.23 (95% CI, 12.94–15.52) vs. 19.07 (95% CI, 16.09–22.05) days, p < 0.001]. No major adverse effects were reported in either group.

Conclusion: Among critically ill patients requiring MV, combination therapy with SFI can improve the survival probability without any obvious adverse reactions.

Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of Melianodiol on DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice

Background

Ulcerative colitis is a unique inflammatory bowel disease with ulcerative lesions of the colonic mucosa. Melianodiol (MN), a triterpenoid, isolated from the fruits of the Chinese medicinal plant Melia azedarach, possesses significant anti-inflammatory properties.

Objective

The present study investigated the protective effects of MN on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophages and DSS-mediated ulcerative colitis in mice.

Methods

In the study, mice were given MN (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) and 5-ASA (500 mg/kg) daily for 9 days after induction by DSS for 1 week. The progress of the disease was monitored daily by observation of changes in clinical signs and body weight.

Results

The results showed that MN effectively improved the overproduction of inflammatory factors (IL-6, NO, and TNF-α) and suppressed the activation of the NF-κB signalling cascade in LPS-mediated RAW264.7 cells. For DSS-mediated colitis in mice, MN can reduce weight loss and the disease activity index (DAI) score in UC mice, suppress colon shortening, and alleviate pathological colon injury. Moreover, MN treatment notably up regulated the levels of IL-10 and down regulated those of IL-1β and TNF-α, and inhibited the protein expression of p-JAK2, p-STAT3, iNOS, NF-κB P65, p-P65, p-IKKα/β, and p-IκBα in the colon. After MN treatment, the levels of MDA and NO in colonic tissue were remarkably decreased, whereas the levels of GSH, SOD, Nrf-2, Keap-1, HO-1, IκBα, and eNOS protein expression levels were significantly increased.

Conclusion

These results indicate that MN can activate the Nrf-2 signalling pathway and inhibit the JAK/STAT, iNOS/eNOS, and NF-κB signalling cascades, enhance intestinal barrier function, and effectively reduce the LPS-mediated inflammatory response in mouse macrophages and DSS-induced intestinal injury in UC.

Ginsenoside Contents in Ginseng: Quality by Design-Coupled Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography Technique

Red ginseng and white ginseng, with different chemical constituents, exhibit different antioxidative, anticancer, antiasthmatic and immunomodulatory properties. The aim of this study was to determine the amount of ginsenoside contents (Rg1, Re, Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd and Ro) in red and white ginseng. A rapid and comprehensive method was developed using the quality-by-design (QbD) and heart-cutting two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) techniques. The temperature (25°C), mobile phase constituent (0.1%H3PO4), flow rate (0.35 mL/min) and concentrations of the final (45%) and initial (19.5%) organic solvents were optimized to efficient chromatography-based isolation method. The gradient program was optimized by QbD Fusion AE system. A selective column (Thermo Acclaim RSLC Polar Advantage II 2.2 μm, 100 × 2.1 mm) was used for the studies. The ginsenoside Rb1, Rc and Ro exhibiting poor separation resolution were separated using the heart-cutting 2D-LC technique. The average Rb1, Rb2 and Rc contents in red ginseng were significantly higher than the average Rb1, Rb2 and Rc contents in white ginseng. Ginsenoside Ro can be potentially used as a marker to evaluate the qualities of white and red ginseng. This comprehensive and rapid method can be potentially used to screen the quality of the markers in the future.