Abstract
Panax spp. (Araliaceae family) are widely used medicinal plants and they mainly include Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, Panax quinquefolium L. (American ginseng), and Panax notoginseng (notoginseng). Polysaccharides are the main active ingredients in these plants and have demonstrated diverse pharmacological functions, but comparisons of isolation methods, structural features, and bioactivities of these polysaccharides have not yet been reported. This review summarizes recent advances associated with 112 polysaccharides from ginseng, 25 polysaccharides from American ginseng, and 36 polysaccharides from notoginseng and it compares the differences in extraction, purification, structural features, and bioactivities. Most studies focus on ginseng polysaccharides and comparisons are typically made with the polysaccharides from American ginseng and notoginseng. For the extraction, purification, and structural analysis, the processes are similar for the polysaccharides from the three Panax species. Previous studies determined that 55 polysaccharides from ginseng, 18 polysaccharides from American ginseng, and 9 polysaccharides from notoginseng exhibited anti-tumor activity, immunoregulatory effects, anti-oxidant activity, and other pharmacological functions, which are mediated by multiple signaling pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinase, nuclear factor kappa B, or redox balance pathways. This review can provide new insights into the similarities and differences among the polysaccharides from the three Panax species, which can facilitate and guide further studies to explore the medicinal properties of the Araliaceae family used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Highlights
Ginseng (Panax spp., Araliaceae family) is a medical and edible herb that has traditionally been used for thousands of years to regulate bodily functions and exert multiple protective effects [1,2]
This review summarized recent advances associated with 112 polysaccharides from ginseng, 25 polysaccharides from American ginseng, and 36 polysaccharides from notoginseng and compared the differences in extraction, purification, and structural features
Most studies focused on ginseng polysaccharides and, if comparisons were made, the polysaccharides used were from American ginseng and notoginseng
Summary
Ginseng (Panax spp., Araliaceae family) is a medical and edible herb that has traditionally been used for thousands of years to regulate bodily functions and exert multiple protective effects [1,2]. To obtain polysaccharide fractions from the various Panax species, different extraction methods are used to extract different polysaccharides, including hot water/ethanol extraction [29,34,35,36], alkaline extraction [37,38], enzymatic extraction [39,40,41], and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) extraction [42]. Current studies demonstrate that the polysaccharide extraction rates for American ginseng and notoginseng by alkali or methanol ranged from 1.8% to 2.8% [51] Based on these findings, we conclude that different polysaccharides from three species can be isolated with different reagents, enzymes, or equipment to avoid the disadvantages of extraction processes and obtain high-yield and high-activity polysaccharides. A combined method might be a more optimal strategy for extracting polysaccharides with different structures and bioactivities
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