Progress on the Elucidation of the Antinociceptive Effect of Ginseng and Ginsenosides in Chronic Pain.

Mei-Xian Li,Qian-Qi Wei,Huan-Jun Lu

doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.821940

Abstract

Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) is a traditional Oriental herbal drug widely used in East Asia. Its main active ingredients are ginsenosides whose constituents are known to have various pharmacological activities such as anticancer, antinociception, and neuroprotection. The analgesic effects of ginsenosides, such as Rg1, Rg2, and Rb1, as well as compound K, are well known and the analgesic mechanism of action in inflammatory pain models is thought to be the down regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression (TNF-α IL-1β, and IL-6). Several studies have also demonstrated that ginsenosides regulate neuropathic pain through the modulation of estrogen receptors. Recently, an increasing number of pathways have emerged in relation to the antinociceptive effect of ginseng and ginsenosides. Therefore, this review presents our current understanding of the effectiveness of ginseng in chronic pain and how its active constituents regulate nociceptive responses and their mechanisms of action.

Highlights

Pain is a very common concern for patients and has a significant effect upon their quality of life
We provide an overview of ginseng and its active constituents and its major therapeutic applications for the treatment of chronic pain
Compound K were reversed by treatment with estrogen receptor (ER) antagonists. These results indicated that Rb1 and compound K have potential antinociceptive effects against both peripheral and central neuropathic pain that may be mediated through the estrogen receptor

Summary

Introduction

Pain is a very common concern for patients and has a significant effect upon their quality of life. The mechanisms of action suggested to explain these effects include antagonism of adrenergic (Kim et al, 2018), gammaaminobutyric acid (Yin et al, 2011), and opioid receptors (Suh et al, 2000); and regulation of ion channel activity (Lee, Kim, and Shim 2018), mediation of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression (Luo et al, 2018), and immune cell responses (Chen et al, 2014). At least 10 of ginseng saponins could inhibit NF-κB transcription factor (Kim et al, 2009) as well as reduce inflammatory NO synthase expression (Huynh et al, 2020), while some ginsenosides have direct effect against neuropathic pain that blocks calcium channels in nociceptive neurons (Mogil et al, 1998).

Results

Conclusion