Ginseng is a traditional Chinese medicinal material widely used in East Asia, especially in China and Korea, for its rich medicinal value. One of its main active ingredients is ginsenosides, a class of complex triterpenoid compounds that have attracted much attention due to their significant physiological activities and potential health benefits. This article, published in the journal Food Chemistry, used a metabolomics strategy using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS) to analyze the changes in ginsenosides in Asian ginseng and American ginseng during processing.
Bioactivity of ginsenosides
Ginsenosides are considered to be the main active ingredients of ginseng, and their biological activities include enhancing immunity, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and regulating glucose metabolism. These effects have made ginseng widely concerned in the fields of traditional medicine and modern health products. The study in this article highlights the dynamic changes of two main types of ginsenosides, Asian ginseng and American ginseng, under different processing conditions.
Research Methods
UPLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS Technology
This study used UPLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS technology, an advanced technology that combines liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, which can detect trace components in complex samples with high sensitivity and resolution. This technology is particularly suitable for the separation and identification of complex compounds such as ginsenosides.
Data Analysis
Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used in the study to analyze the dynamic changes of compounds during processing. These methods help to extract meaningful variables from high-dimensional data and identify key saponin markers.
Main Research Findings
Types and Characteristics of Saponins
The study identified 739 different ginsenosides, including 225 possible new saponins. These saponins show diversity through the combination of different sugar chains and side chain structures. Specifically, the main frameworks of ginsenosides include dammarane type (Dammarane) and oleanane type (Oleanane), etc.
Effect of processing on saponins
The article discusses in detail the effects of different processing conditions, especially soaking and decoction, on the content and composition of saponins. The study showed that the extension of soaking time and the increase of temperature and time during decoction led to a significant decrease in the content of some saponins, while others may increase due to transformation or generation.
One of the main findings is that the concentration of certain specific saponins, such as Rb1 and Rg1, changes over time during processing. For example, after 24 hours of soaking, the degradation rate of some saponins is obvious, while decoction may lead to the formation of new saponins, which suggests the important influence of processing on composition.
Markers and quantitative analysis of saponins
The study screened out saponin components as markers to evaluate the dynamic changes during soaking and decoction. The identification of this marker was achieved by semi-quantitative analysis, in which 22 key saponins were quantified in detail using standard references. Quantitative analysis further verified the stability and change trend of different saponins during processing.
Discussion
This study provides a new perspective for understanding the chemical complexity of ginseng and the effects of processing on its active ingredients. The article discusses the possibility of further application of these findings, especially in optimizing production and extraction methods to maximize the medicinal value of ginseng.
The dynamic changes of saponins revealed in the study not only help to gain a deeper understanding of the value of ginseng as a medicinal plant, but also provide a scientific basis for the development of new ginseng products and the optimization of existing products. Future research directions include exploring the specific mechanisms of saponin metabolism and bioactivity in vivo, as well as the evaluation of efficacy in different disease models.
Conclusion
This study deeply analyzed the complex changes of ginsenosides under different processing conditions through modern metabolomics methods, providing an important basis for the scientific use and development of ginseng products. This approach not only enhances our understanding of the pharmacologically active ingredients of ginseng, but also promotes the potential application of ginseng products in modern medicine.
Original link
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814623010439
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