Panax saponins from

Dou, D.-Q., Chen, Y.-J., Liang, L.-H., Pang, F.-G., Shimizu, N., and Takeda, T. (2001). Six new dammarane-type triterpene saponins from the leaves of Panax ginseng. Chem. Pharm. Bull. 49, 442-446. 

Due, N. M., Nham, N. T., Kasai, R., Ito, A., Yamasaki, K., and Tanaka, O. (1993). Saponins from Vietnamese ginseng, Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv. Collected in central Vietnam. I. Qiem. Pharm. Bull. 41, 2010-2014. 

Kohda, H., Tanaka, S., Yamaoka, Y., Izumi, H., Nuno, M., Isoda, S., Gotoh, K., Watanabe, T., Katsuki, S., and Satake, M. (1991). Chikusetsusaponin. VI. A new saponin from the rhizome of Panax pseudo-ginseng var. angustatus Hara. Chem. Pharm. Bull. 39,1588-1590. 

Komakine, N., Okasaka, M., Takaishi, Y., Kawazoe, K., Murakami, K., and Yamada, Y. (2006). New dammarane-type saponin from roots of Panax notoginseng.. Nat. Med. 60,135-137. 

Li, L., Sheng, Y., Zhang, J., Wang, C., and Guo, D.-A. (2004a). HPLC determination of four active saponins from Panax notoginseng in rat serum and its application to pharmacokinetic studies. Biomed. Chromatogr. 18,849-856. 

Sun, H., Ye, Y., and Pan, Y. (2005b). Immunological-adjuvant saponins from the roots of Panax notoginseng. Chem. Biodiver. 2, 510-515. 

Tran, Q. L., Adnyana, I. K., Tezuka, Y., Nagaoka, T., Tran, Q. K., and Kadota, S. (2001). Triterpene saponins from Vietnamese ginseng (Panax vietnamensis) and their hepatocy-toprotective activity. /. Nat. Prod. 64, 456 61. 

The effect of the major saponin from Panax ginseng (Araliaceae), ginsenoside Rbi (33), was investigated on rat liver protein phosphorylation. It was observed that 118, 63 and 34 kDa proteins were... 

As expected due to chemical instability the number of acyclic peroxides is lower. Most of them occur as plant derived products, but also in soft corals hke Clavularia inflata, hydroperoxides with potent cytotoxicity exist. Interestingly the bioactivity disappeared when the hydroperoxide function was deleted. It must be noted that most of natural hydroperoxides in plants are foimd in the group of saponins from Panax ginseng or Ficus microcarpa, which are used in ethnomedicine in South East Asia. 

Among further developments of MS in the field of saponins, it may be expected that LC/MS coupling will ease the tedious process of titration and analysis of saponins in mixtures. First results obtained with the Jeol FRIT-FAB system describe the analysis of saponins from Panax and Bupleurum (57). 

Zhang, Q.H. et al.. Protective effects of total saponins from stem and leaf of Panax ginseng against cyclophosphamide-indnced genotoxicity and apoptosis in monse bone marrow cells and peripheral lymphocyte cells. Food Chem. Toxicol., 46, 293, 2008. 

Figure 1. Extraction and Isolation of Saponins from Rhizomes and Roots of Panax vietnamensis.

Figure 3. New Dammarane Saponins from Panax vietnamenss. 

A Chinese-Japanese cooperative chemical study 104) of the rhizomes of this plant from Zhaotong, Yunnan at 2100m led to isolation of the oleanolic acid saponins, G-IV, C-IVa, and C-V in yields of 3.4, 2.8, and 3.1%. In this respect, then Zhujie-shen is very similar to Japanese Chikusetsu-ninjin. However, the composition of the dammarane saponin fraction of Zhujie-shen which consisted of Rd (0.04% yield). Re (0.12%), Rgi(0.15%), Rg (0.05%), NG-R2(0.02%, see Chapter VIII-2, Table II) and pseudo-ginsenoside-Fii (PG-Fn, 0.04%, an ocotillol-type saponin from leaves of Himalayan Panax and also from leaves of American Ginseng, see Chapter IX-2), was significantly different from that of the Japanese plant. 

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