Chem. Pharm. Bull. 55(2) 231—235 (2007)

Ginseng, the famous plant drug, has been used as an expensive traditional medicine in oriental countries. The main ginseng plants of this drug are Panax ginseng C. A. MEYER, P. quinquefolium L. (American ginseng), P. natoginseng (Sanchi ginseng, or Tienchi ginseng), P. japonicus, and other species of Panax genus. One of physiological activity materials of ginseng plants is saponin (ginsenoside), known ginsenosides are over 40 kinds. Ginsenosides are divided three types, i.e. protopanaxadiol type (PPD), protopanaxatriol type (PPT), and oleanonic acid type saponins such as ginsenoside Ro. The ginsenoside Ra1, Ra2, Ra3, Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc, Rd, F2, Rg3, Rg5, Rh2, and Rh3 are protopanaxadiol type ginsenoside; Re, Rg1, Rg2, Rg4, Rh1, Rh4 are protopanaxatriol type ginsenoside; these ginsenosides are dammarane saponins. Ginsenoside Ra1, Ra2, Ra3, Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc, Rd, F2, Re, Rg1 are dammarane 20(S)-saponins, but the ginsenoside Rg3, Rh2, Rg2, Rh1 have 20(S) and 20(R)-forms. Structures of several compounds belonging to the respective common structure of protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol were shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The main ginsenosides in the drug ginseng are the ginsenoside Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf and Rg1, and other ginsenoside content was low, the ginsenosides such as Rg3, Rg2, Rg5, Rh2, Rh1, Rh3 and Rh4 are minor ginsenosides in the red ginseng or wild ginseng. These minor ginsenoside Rg3, Rg5, Rg2, Rg4, Rh2, Rh3, Rh1 and Rh4 have special physiological activities: for example, the ginsenoside Rh2, Rh3, Rg3 and Rh1 have a good anticancer property, but haven’t sideeffects; the ginsenoside Rg3 and Rg2 have anti-thrombus and mediating endothelium. So, the minor ginsenosides are very useful for the drug and health food. However, it is very difficult to obtain the minor ginsenoside from the red and wild ginseng, because the contents in the red ginseng and wild ginseng are very low. The metabolism of ginsenosides by human intestinal bacteria was reported to express the ginsenoside hydrolyzing behaviors in human intestinal, to prove the ginseng saponin hyPurification and Characterization of New Special Ginsenosidase Hydrolyzing Multi-Glycisides of Protopanaxadiol Ginsenosides, Ginsenosidase Type I