Abstract

The anti-hepatotoxic activity of Panax ginseng was studied using galactosamine (GalN)-induced cytotoxicity in primary cultured rat hepatocytes. Panax ginseng was fractionated into dammarane glycosides and protein fractions. The dammarane glycosides was further fractionated into panaxadiol and panaxatriol glycosides fractions. The protein fraction was further fractionated into four groups according to the molecular weight; larger than 10,000 dalton, between 5,000 and 10,000 dalton, between 1,000 and 5,000 dalton and between 500 and 1,000 dalton. A significant lowering action on the elevated glutamicpyruvic transaminase (GPT) activity in the culture medium of hepatocytes treated with 1.5 mM GalN was noticed with all four protein fractions studied at the concentration of both $50\;{\mu}g/ml$ and $100\;{\mu}g/ml$. However, the effect of dammarane glycosides fractions was not significant. It was noted that the addition of $100\;{\mu}g/ml$ of protein fractions smaller than 5,000 dalton significantly enhanced the syntheses of protein and RNA in the damaged hepatocytes induced by the treatment of 1.5 mM GalN. Dammarane glycosides fractions significantly enhanced protein synthesis at the concentration of $100\;{\mu}g/ml$ in the damaged hepatocytes by treatment of 1.5 mM GalN.

Keywords

• Panax ginseng;
• Dammarane glycosides fraction;
• Protein fraction;
• Primary cultured rat hepatocytes;
• Galactosamine-induced cytotoxicity