The Difference between White and Red Ginseng: Variations in Ginsenosides and Immunomodulation.

Ginseng Radix (Panax ginseng) is one of the most commonly used herbs worldwide for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases among others, supported by ancient historical records. Throughout this long history, the large-scale cultivation of ginseng created an increasing demand for long-term storage of the harvested plant material, accelerating the development of post-harvesting procedures. Dried white ginseng and processed (steamed) red ginseng are the products of the two most common traditional post-harvest processes. Although there are a significant number of reports on practice-based therapeutic applications of ginseng, science-based evidence is needed to support these uses. Using a reverse pharmacology approach in conjunction with high-throughput techniques and animal models may offer clear, simple paths for the elucidation of the mechanisms of activity of herbal medicines. Moreover, it could provide a new and more efficient method for the discovery of potential drug candidates. From this perspective, the different chemical compositions of white ginseng and red ginseng could very likely result in different interactions with signaling pathways of diverse biological responses. This paper provides an overview of white ginseng and red ginseng, mainly focusing on their chemical profile and immunomodulation activities. Synergistic effects of ginseng herbal drugs with combinations of other traditional herbal drugs or with synthetic drugs were reviewed. The use of the zebrafish model for bioactivity testing greatly improves the prospects for future ginseng research.

Amelioration of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis by Isogarcinol Extracted from Garcinia mangostana L. Mangosteen.

Isogarcinol is a new natural immunosuppressant that was extracted from Garcinia mangostana L. in our laboratory. Knowledge of its effects on treatable diseases and its mechanism of action is still very limited. In this study, we explored the therapeutic effect of isogarcinol in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a murine model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Treatment with oral 100 mg/kg isogarcinol markedly ameliorated clinical scores, alleviated inflammation and demyelination of the spinal cord, and reduced intracranial lesions in EAE mice. The percentages of Th cells and macrophages were also strongly reduced. Isogarcinol appeared to act by inhibiting T helper (Th) 1 and Th17 cell differentiation via the janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription pathway and by impairing macrophage function. Our data suggest that isogarcinol has the potential to be an effective therapeutic agent of low toxicity for treating MS and other autoimmune diseases.