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Comparative Study
. 2020 Feb 28;10(3):372.
doi: 10.3390/biom10030372.

Comparison of Ginsenoside Components of Various Tissues of New Zealand Forest-Grown Asian Ginseng (Panax Ginseng) and American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolium L.)

Wei Chen  1   2   3 , Prabhu Balan  2   3 , David G Popovich  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of Ginsenoside Components of Various Tissues of New Zealand Forest-Grown Asian Ginseng (Panax Ginseng) and American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolium L.)

Wei Chen et al. Biomolecules. .

Abstract

Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium L.) are the two most important ginseng species for their medicinal properties. Ginseng is not only popular to consume, but is also increasingly popular to cultivate. In the North Island of New Zealand, Asian ginseng and American ginseng have been grown in Taupo and Rotorua for more than 15 years. There are no publications comparing the chemical constituents between New Zealand-grown Asian ginseng (NZPG) and New Zealand-grown American ginseng (NZPQ). In this study, fourteen ginsenoside reference standards and LC-MS2 technology were employed to analyze the ginsenoside components of various parts (fine root, rhizome, main root, stem, and leaf) from NZPG and NZPQ. Fifty and 43 ginsenosides were identified from various parts of NZPG and NZPQ, respectively, and 29 ginsenosides were found in both ginseng species. Ginsenoside concentrations in different parts of ginsengs were varied. Compared to other tissues, the fine roots contained the most abundant ginsenosides, not only in NZPG (142.49 ± 1.14 mg/g) but also in NZPQ (115.69 ± 3.51 mg/g). For the individual ginsenosides of both NZPG and NZPQ, concentration of Rb1 was highest in the underground parts (fine root, rhizome, and main root), and ginsenoside Re was highest in the aboveground parts (stem and leaf).

Keywords: American ginseng; Asian ginseng; Panax ginseng; Panax quinquefolium L.; ginsenosides.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The chemical structures of 14 ginsenoside reference standards.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The base peak chromatogram (BPC) of 14 ginsenoside reference standards.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The MS (A, C) and MS2 (B, D) of ginsenosides p-F11 (A, B) and Rf (C, D).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The base peak chromatogram (BPC) profiles of different parts of New Zealand-grown Asian ginseng (NZPG, red line) and New Zealand-grown American ginseng (NZPQ, black line). (A) Ginseng fine root, (B) ginseng rhizome, (C) ginseng main root, (D) ginseng leaf, (E) ginseng stem.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The base peak chromatogram (BPC) profiles of different parts of New Zealand-grown Asian ginseng (NZPG, red line) and New Zealand-grown American ginseng (NZPQ, black line). (A) Ginseng fine root, (B) ginseng rhizome, (C) ginseng main root, (D) ginseng leaf, (E) ginseng stem.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Distribution of ginsenosides in different parts of NZPG and NZPQ.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The ginsenoside contents from different parts of NZPQ and NZPG. (A) Fine root; (B) rhizome; (C) main root; (D) leaf; (E) stem. Data were expressed as mean ± SD and analyzed by t-test using Graph pad 8 software. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001. Differences were considered significant if p < 0.05.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The ginsenoside contents from different parts of NZPQ and NZPG. (A) Fine root; (B) rhizome; (C) main root; (D) leaf; (E) stem. Data were expressed as mean ± SD and analyzed by t-test using Graph pad 8 software. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001. Differences were considered significant if p < 0.05.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The ratios of Rb1/Rg1, Rg1/Re, Rb2/Rc, protopanaxadiol/protopanaxatriol (PPD/PPT), and G/mG in NZPQ and NZPG. (A) Fine root; (B) rhizome; (C) main root; (D) leaf; (E) stem. The PPD-type amount and PPT-type amounts are the sum of all the quantified PPD-type ginsenosides and PPT-type ginsenosides, respectively. G/mG is the ratio of neutral ginsenoside amount to malonyl ginsenoside amount; the malonyl ginsenoside amount is the sum of five quantified malonyl ginsenosides (mRb1, mRb2, mRb3, mRc, and mRd), and the neutral ginsenoside amount is the sum of corresponding neutral ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc, and Rd).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Comparison of ginsenoside components between New Zealand-grown Asian ginseng (colorless background) and New Zealand-grown American ginseng (colored background) in leaf (green), stem (blue), rhizome (red), fine root (brown), and main root (yellow). The numbers in parentheses refer to the number of ginsenosides identified by qualitative analysis, and the other numbers refer to the total content of ginsenosides (mg/g) quantified by quantitative analysis.
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