title: Microbial conversion of major ginsenoside rb(1) to pharmaceutically active minor ginsenoside rd.
abstract: More than seventy strains of aerobic bacteria showing beta-glucosidase activity were isolated from a ginseng field, using a newly designed Esculin-R2A agar, and identified by their 16S rRNA gene sequences. Of these microorganisms, twelve strains could convert the major ginsenoside, Rb(1), to the pharmaceutically active minor ginsenoside Rd. Three strains, Burkholderia pyrrocinia GP16, Bacillus megaterium GP27 and Sphingomonas echinoides GP50, were phylogenetically studied, and observed to be most potent at converting ginsenoside Rb(1) almost completely within 48 h, as shown by TLC and HPLC analyses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oriental Medicinal Material & Processing, College of Life science, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Kyunggi-do 449-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Myung Kyum
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jun Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ki Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Deok-Chun
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000362:Agar; D001410:Bacillus megaterium / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D019117:Burkholderia / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D003470:Culture Media; D004929:Esculin; D036145:Ginsenosides / Q000378:metabolism*; D005894:Panax / Q000382:microbiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D020578:Sphingomonas / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D001617:beta-Glucosidase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D036145:Ginsenosides; D004929:Esculin; D000362:Agar; C440192:ginsenoside-beta-glucosidase; D001617:beta-Glucosidase