Korean red ginseng extract does not cause embryo-fetal death or abnormalities in mice.
BACKGROUND
Ginseng has been used for a long time and is well tolerated in humans. However, recent studies have shown that ginsenosides Rb1, Rg1, and Re exert embryotoxicity in in vitro culture systems. We investigated the effects of Korean red ginseng extract (KRGE) on embryonic implantation and fetal development in mice.


METHODS
Mice were orally administered KRGE (20, 200, or 2,000 mg/kg/day) from 2 weeks before mating to gestational day (GD) 18, and implantation rate, fetal mortality, body weights, as well as external, visceral, and skeletal abnormalities were determined by Caesarean section on GD18. Ginsenosides in KRGE and in the blood of dams were identified and quantified by HPLC analysis.


RESULTS
KRGE did not affect embryonic implantation and mortality as well as fetal body weights up to 2,000 mg/kg/day (approximately 200 times clinical doses), the upper-limit dose recommended by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). Although the prevalence of supernumerary ribs increased at the medium dose (200 mg/kg/day), no dose-dependent increases in external, visceral, and skeletal abnormalities were observed. Major ginsenosides such as Rb1, Rg1, and Re were not detected in the blood of dams based on their chromatographic profiles.


CONCLUSIONS
Considerable developmental toxicities of KRGE, even at the upper-limit dose, were not observed in mice. These results might be due to the negligible blood concentrations of ginsenosides in their original forms following oral administration, suggesting that in vitro experiments to assess the effects of ginsenosides on embryotoxicity may not reliably explain the risks of ginsenosides to in vivo embryo-fetal development.
Shin
Sunhee
S
College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, 410 Seongbongro (Gaeshin-dong), Cheongju, Chungbuk 361-763, Korea.
Jang
Ja Young
JY
Park
Dongsun
D
Yon
Jung-Min
JM
Baek
In-Jeoung
IJ
Hwang
Bang Yeon
BY
Nam
Sang-Yoon
SY
Yun
Young Won
YW
Kim
Ki-Yon
KY
Joo
Seong Soo
SS
Kim
Yun-Bae
YB
D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002845:Chromatography / Q000379:methods; D020964:Embryo Loss / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000139:chemically induced*; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D005894:Panax / Q000633:toxicity*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal; D013997:Time Factors