Supercritical carbon dioxide fractionation improves the antioxidative activity, anti-inflammatory activity, and therapeutic index of <em>Panax ginseng</em>

Abstract

Supercritical carbon dioxide fractionation improves the antioxidative activity, anti-inflammatory activity, and therapeutic index of Panax ginseng Chao-Chin Yang,1 Chiu-Yuan Chen,2 Zer-Ran Yu,3 Be-Jen Wang1 1Department of Food Science, National Chiayi University, Chiayi, 2Department of Natural Biotechnology, Nanhua University, Dalin, Chiayi, 3Superwell Biotechnology Corporation, Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China Abstract: Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) fractionation technology can effectively separate different types of ginsenosides from the roots of Panax ginseng, which have been shown to possess various physiological activities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities as well as the therapeutic index of SC-CO2 fractions from P. ginseng C.A. Meyer. Of the various extracted fractions and residues, the F3 fraction exhibited the highest antioxidative property. The half maximal effective concentration (EC50) values of the F3 fraction for reducing power, hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, and thiobarbituric acid assay were 4.51, 2.60, and 0.22 mg/mL, respectively. The F3 fraction also possessed the strongest anti-inflammatory effect in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human THP-1 monocytic-like cell line, by decreasing tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) production. In addition, the F3 fraction exhibited a high therapeutic index, which is the ratio of 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) and EC50. In conclusion, high antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities and therapeutic index value were observed in the F3 fraction of the roots of P. ginseng C.A. Meyer. SC-CO2 technology is a feasible method to improve the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of P. ginseng. Keywords: anti-inflammation, antioxidative activity, Panax ginseng, supercritical carbon dioxide fractionation