Ginsenoside and Its Therapeutic Potential for Cognitive Impairment

Biomolecules. 2022 Sep 16;12(9):1310. doi: 10.3390/biom12091310.

Abstract

Cognitive impairment (CI) is one of the major clinical features of many neurodegenerative diseases. It can be aging-related or even appear in non-central nerve system (CNS) diseases. CI has a wide spectrum that ranges from the cognitive complaint with normal screening tests to mild CI and, at its end, dementia. Ginsenosides, agents extracted from a key Chinese herbal medicine (ginseng), show great promise as a new therapeutic option for treating CI. This review covered both clinical trials and preclinical studies to summarize the possible mechanisms of how ginsenosides affect CI in different diseases. It shows that ginsenosides can modulate signaling pathways associated with oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, synaptic plasticity, and neurogenesis. The involved signaling pathways mainly include the PI3K/Akt, CREB/BDNF, Keap1/Nrf2 signaling, and NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome pathways. We hope to provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of CI for related diseases by ginsenosides.

Keywords: apoptosis; cognitive impairment; ginsenosides; inflammation; pharmacological properties.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / metabolism
  • Cognitive Dysfunction* / drug therapy
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal*
  • Ginsenosides* / pharmacology
  • Ginsenosides* / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Inflammasomes / metabolism
  • Kelch-Like ECH-Associated Protein 1 / metabolism
  • NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / metabolism
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein / metabolism
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism

Substances

  • Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • Ginsenosides
  • Inflammasomes
  • Kelch-Like ECH-Associated Protein 1
  • NF-E2-Related Factor 2
  • NF-kappa B
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Jiangsu Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Development Project, grant numbers QN202001 and QN202102, National Natural Science Foundation, grant number 81904085, and Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu province, grant number BK20191412.