title: Neuroactive and other free amino acids in seed and young plants of Panax ginseng.
abstract: The seeds and one to three years old plants of Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) were analyzed for their free amino acid contents. The neuro-excitatory beta-ODAP (beta-N-oxalyl-L-alpha,beta-diaminopropionic acid), suggested to be the cause of the crippling neurolathyrism, was the major component in the seed extract (70% of the total free amino acids detected) and showed the highest concentration (0.43% by wt) compared to that in the different parts of young plants. beta-ODAP concentration was higher in the shoots as compared to roots and declined in older plants. The amount of beta-ODAP in the roots may be considered as an indirect measure of age and quality. Another neuro-active non-protein amino acid, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), increased dramatically after germination and reached highest concentration in different parts of 3 year-old plants. Glutamine and arginine were the two major free proteinogenic amino acids in the ginseng plants and together they constituted over 50% of all the free amino acids detected in the root.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Jozef Kluyskensstraat 27, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Yu-Haey
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ikegami
authors.forename: Fernand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lambein
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000599:Amino Acids, Diamino / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D018525:Germination; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000737:chemistry*; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D000599:Amino Acids, Diamino; D009498:Neurotoxins; C100126:oxalyldiaminopropionic acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid