Individual differences in ginsenoside pharmacokinetics following ginseng administration in humans are still unclear. We aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetic properties of various ginsenosides, including Rb1, Rg3, Rg5, Rk1, F2, and compound K (CK), after a single oral administration of red ginseng (RG) and bioconverted red ginseng extract (BRG). This was a randomized, open-label, single-dose, single-sequence crossover study with washout every 1 week, and 14 healthy Korean men were enrolled. All subjects were equally assigned to two groups and given RG or BRG capsules. The pharmacokinetic parameters of ginsenosides were measured from the plasma drug concentrationtime curve of individual subjects. Ginsenosides Rg3, Rk1+Rg5, F2, and CK in the BRG group showed a higher C_max, AUC_(0–t), and AUC_(0–∞) and shorter T_max (for CK) than those in the RG group. These results suggest that BRG may lead to a higher absorption rate of bioactive ginsenosides. This study provides valuable information on the pharmacokinetics of various bioactive ginsenosides, which is needed to enhance the therapeutic efficacy and pharmacological activity of ginseng.

Binge drinking patterns easily produce a state of oxidative stress that disturbs liver function. Eventually, this leads to alcoholic liver disease. A safe and effective therapy for alcoholic liver disease remains elusive. Enzyme-treated Z. latifolia extract (ETZL) was studied as a potential agent for treating alcohol-induced liver disease. In addition, its underlying mechanisms were elucidated. In the binge model, ETZL was pretreated with alcohol (5 g/kg) three times at 12-h intervals. Our results showed that ETZL pretreatment decreased the serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, and TG. ETZL treatment appeared to prevent an increase in hepatic TG and MDA levels, and there was a decrease in total GSH following alcohol treatment. Histopathological examination showed that lipid droplets were significantly reduced in the ETZL group compared to the control group. ETZL also exhibited radical scavenging activity. It significantly reduced t-BHP-induced cytotoxicity and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HepG2 cells. ETZL also enhanced NRF2 nuclear translocation and increased expression of the downstream target genes HO-1, NQO1, and GCLC as an antioxidant defense. Finally, ETZL treatment significantly reduced cell death. Our study suggests that ETZL ameliorates binge ethanol-induced liver injury by upregulating the antioxidant defense mechanism.

In the present study, we investigated a saponin-enriched fraction from Gynostemma pentaphyllum extract (GPE) and isolated gypenoside L (GL), gypenoside LI (GLI), and ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3). To explore the anti-obesity activities of these compounds, we investigated the effects of GL, GLI, and Rg3 on glucose uptake and activation of AMPK in L6 skeletal muscle cells. GPE, GL, GLI, and Rg3 markedly increased glucose uptake activity and GLUT4 gene expression in L6 myotubes. The enhanced glucose uptake was mediated by the activation of the AMPK-ACC signaling pathway. In addition, we observed that GPE, GL, GLI, and Rg3 increased the expression of SIRT1 and PPARγ coacvtivator-1α (PGC-1α). Our results suggest the potential use of Gynostemma pentaphyllum in developing a therapeutic agent to reduce body weight and prevent diet-related diseases via glucose uptake and AMPK activation.

A Literature Study on Treatment of Guillain-Barre Syndrome Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Journals Guillain-Barre syndrome;Korean medicine;Acupuncture; Objectives : The purpose of this study is to analyze Korean medicine treatment of guillain-barre syndrome based on TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Journals. Methods : 12 control studies and 28 case studies in CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) were selected for analysis. Results and Conclusions : 1. In control studies, most studies have studied western medicine (Control) versus western medicine + TCM (Intervention group). The intervention group had significantly better results than that of the control group. 2. In case studies, syndrome differentiations related to dual deficiency of qi and blood are common. Every syndrome differentiations has deficiency syndrome. 3. The most commonly used acupoints are LI11, ST36, LI4 and GB34. 4. The most commonly used meridians are large intestine meridian and stomach meridian.