Ginsenoside Rd: A promising natural neuroprotective agent

Yu-Ying Chen; Qiu-Ping Liu; Pei An; Min Jia; Xin Luan; Jian-Yuan Tang; Hong Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2021.153883

Ginsenoside Rd: A promising natural neuroprotective agent

Phytomedicine. 2022 Jan:95:153883. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2021.153883. Epub 2021 Dec 8.

Authors

Yu-Ying Chen¹, Qiu-Ping Liu¹, Pei An¹, Min Jia², Xin Luan³, Jian-Yuan Tang⁴, Hong Zhang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology; Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
² College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China.
³ Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology; Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China. Electronic address: luanxin@shutcm.edu.cn.
⁴ TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, China. Electronic address: tangjy@cdutcm.edu.cn.
⁵ Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of TCM Chemical Biology; Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China. Electronic address: zhanghong@shutcm.edu.cn.

PMID: 34952508
DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2021.153883

Abstract

Background: Neurological diseases seriously affect human health, which are arousing wider attention, and it is a great challenge to discover neuroprotective drugs with minimal side-effects and better efficacies. Natural agents derived from herbs or plants have become unparalleled resources for the discovery of novel drug candidates. Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, a well-known herbal medicine in China, occupies a very important position in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) with a long history of clinical application. Ginsenoside Rd is the active compound in P. ginseng known to have broad-spectrum pharmacological effects to reduce neurological damage that can lead to neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, depression, cognitive impairment, and cerebral ischemia.

Purpose: To review and discuss the effects and mechanisms of ginsenoside Rd in the treatment of neurological diseases.

Study design & methods: The related information was compiled by the major scientific databases, such as Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Elsevier, ScienceDirect, PubMed, SpringerLink, Web of Science, and GeenMedical. Using 'Ginsenoside Rd', 'Ginsenosides', 'Anti-inflammation', 'Antioxidant', 'Apoptosis' and 'Neuroprotection' as keywords, the correlated literature was extracted and conducted from the databases mentioned above.

Results: Through summarizing the existing research progress, we found that the general effects of ginsenoside Rd are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-apoptosis, inhibition of Ca²⁺ influx and protection of mitochondria, and through these pathways, the compound can inhibit excitatory toxicity, regulate nerve growth factor, and promote nerve regeneration.

Conclusion: Ginsenoside Rd is a promising natural neuroprotective agent. This review would contribute to the future development of ginsenoside Rd as a novel clinical candidate drug for treating neurological diseases.

Keywords: Ginsenoside Rd; Mechanism; Neuroprotection; Panax ginseng; Signal pathway.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Ginsenosides* / pharmacology
Humans
Neuroprotective Agents* / pharmacology
Panax*
Phytotherapy

Substances

Ginsenosides
Neuroprotective Agents
ginsenoside Rd