ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Panax japonicus C.A. Meyer (Zhujieshen) is widely used in traditional medicine as a tonic hemostatic and anti-inflammatory agent in China, Japan, and Korea. Furthermore, it is used as an important substitute for ginseng roots by minority ethnic groups in China. The purpose of this review is to summarize the latest research on Zhujieshen in recent years, aiming at providing a systematic overview of the current knowledge, and perspectives for future research and exploitation. MAIN BODY: This review examines the research advances in botanical profile, phytochemicals, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and authentication of Zhujieshen. Various compounds have been reported as active components, mainly including saponins, volatile oils, and polysaccharides. Pharmacological investigations have demonstrated that Zhujieshen is an important herb with significant bioactivities, such as anti-inflammatory, hepato-protective, cardio-protective, neuro-protective, anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-thrombotic and immunomodulatory activities. CONCLUSION: Currently, research on Zhujieshen is in the preliminary stages, and further research is required to understand the active compounds present and mechanisms of action. We hope that this comprehensive review of Zhujieshen will serve as a background for future research and exploitation.
ABSTRACT
Codonopsis pilosula (CP) possesses properties related to nourishing the spleen and stomach, and tonifying Qi of the stomach and mind in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharides (CPPS), which are the primary active components of CP, are thought to be in charge of their extensive use. Rutin, quercetin, luteoloside, and luteolin, are common and pharmacologically significant flavonoids with many pharmacological activities, but their oral bioavailability is limited by poor solubility and stability. In this study, high-performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) estimated the molecular weight of CPPS to be 9.7 × 105 Da. Sugar analysis revealed that CPPS is composed of D-mannose, D-glucose, and D-xylose with a molar ratio of 5.8:1.9:1.0. Moreover, the antioxidant test showed that CPPS had good antioxidant activity. It is worth noting that CPPS integrated the four flavonoids to form a spongy compound that significantly increased the solubilities and stabilities of flavonoids. The bonding constants of the CPPS and flavonoid-derived inclusion complexes ranged from 60 L mol-1 to 2,030,816 L mol-1, which demonstrated the capacity of CPPS to interact with flavonoids intermolecularly to form a drug complex system, resulting in potentially enhanced biopharmaceutical properties of flavonoids. This finding could provide a reference point for further applications of polysaccharides from herbal medicines.