Acute and chronic effects of ginseng saponins on maternal aggression in mice

Abstract

The present study investigated the acute and chronic effects of crude ginseng saponin (CGS), pure ginsenoside Rb1 (GS-Rb1) and ginsenoside Rg1 (GS-Rg1) on maternal aggression in mice. Maternal aggression was determined on postpartum days 5 and 7 in female mice that had been housed alone since the end of the 4-day mating period. Acute intraperitoneal administration of CGS (50 and 100 mg/kg) and GS-Rb1 (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) significantly suppressed maternal aggression in a dose-dependent manner, whereas GS-Rg1 was ineffective. As compared with the vehicle-treated group, chronic treatment with CGS (50 mg/kg) and GS-Rb1 (2.5 mg/kg) significantly suppressed maternal aggression without causing motor dysfunction, whereas GS-Rg1 (2.5 mg/kg) showed a tendency to facilitate maternal aggression. These findings indicate that the root of Panax ginseng contains a psychoactive ingredient, GS-Rb1, which can suppress maternal aggression.