Enhancement of the cytotoxicities and antioxidative activities of white ginseng extract by hydrolysis under mild acidic conditions

Abstract

White ginseng extract (WGE) was hydrolyzed with organic acids to increase the yield of ginsenoside Rg3 which has high bio-functional activities. The condition of hydrolysis by citric acid was studied to maximize a production of ginsenoside Rg3. The total content of ginsenoside Rg3 in WGE treated with 10% citric acid at 110°C for 1 h was 10-folds greater than that of commercial extract. The antitumor and antioxidant activities of WGE and the acid-hydrolysates were evaluated via an MTT assay and the DPPH method, respectively. At 1.0 mg/mL, hydrolysates inhibited the proliferation of AGS and Hep-2 cells by more than 90%, but did not inhibit their growth. It suggests that citric acid hydrolysis enhances the content of Rg3. In addition, the acid hydrolysates evidenced a free radical scavenging activity of 80% at a concentration of 4.0 mg/mL, while WGE exhibited only a 49% free radical scavenging activity at the same concentration.