Advances in the chemistry, pharmacological diversity and metabolism of 20(R)-ginseng saponins

Publication date: Available online 31 January 2019Source: Journal of Ginseng ResearchAuthor(s): Chaoming Wang, Juan Liu, Jianqiang Deng, Jiazhen Wang, Weizhao Weng, Hongxia Chu, Qingguo MengAbstractGinseng has been used as a popular herbal medicine in East Asia for at least two millennia. However, 20(R)-ginseng saponins, one class of important rare ginsenosides, are rare in natural products. 20(R)-ginseng saponins are generally prepared by chemical epimerization and microbial transformation from 20(S)-isomers. The C20 configuration of 20(R)-ginseng saponins are usually determined by 13C NMR and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. 20(R)-ginseng saponins have antitumor, antioxidative, antifatigue, neuroprotective, and osteoclastogenesis inhibitory effects among others. Due to the chemical structure, pharmacological and stereoselective properties, 20(R)-ginseng saponins have attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. Here, the discovery, identification, chemical epimerization, microbial transformation, pharmacological activities and metabolism of 20(R)-ginseng saponins are summarized.

Source: Journal of Ginseng Research - February 1, 2019 Category: Complementary Medicine Source Type: research