Determination of Ginsenosides in Ginseng Root Powder by Flexar LC/PDA and Flexar SQ 300 MS Detector

The root of the ginseng plants has been used as herbal medicine in Asia for over two thousand years. It is purported to possess antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive and anti-diabetic properties. The pharmacologically active compounds behind the claims of ginseng's efficacy are ginsenosides; their underlying mechanism of action, although not entirely elucidated, appears to be similar to that of steroid hormones. There are a number of ginseng species, and each has its own set of ginsenosides. Ginsenosides are a diverse group of steroidal saponins with a four ring-like steroid structure that are concentrated primarily in the roots of ginseng plants (see structures in Figure 1). There are two main groups of ginsenosides: the panaxadiol, or Rb1, group that includes Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Rg3, Rh2, and Rh3; and the panaxatriol, or Rg1, group that includes Rg1, Re, Rf, Rg2 and Rh1. Among ginseng plants, the American ginseng and the Korean ginseng are used more frequently. Although both have similar ginsenosides, the American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is said to be richer in Rb1 group ginsenosides whereas the Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) is richer in ginsenosides of the Rg1 group. It is noteworthy that those attributes depend on the age of the roots when the plant was harvested, the storage conditions, and the duration of storage. Determination of Ginsenosides in Ginseng Root Powder by Flexar LC/PDA and Flexar SQ 300 MS Detector UHPLC/Mass Spectrometry