title: Fermentation of Korean red ginseng by Lactobacillus plantarum M-2 and its immunological activities.
abstract: We investigated ginsenoside transformation by fermentation of red ginseng with Lactobacillus plantarum M-2. We also examined the anti-metastasis and immune-stimulating activities of EtOH extracts of fermented red ginseng (FRG-E) in animal and human subjects. Total sugar decreased from 85.5 mg mL(-1) to 44.1 mg mL(-1) with increasing culture time during the fermentation with L. plantarum M-2. Uronic acid content reached a maximum level (534.3 μg mL(-1)) at 3 days of fermentation and decreased thereafter. Ginsenoside metabolites increased from 4,637.0 to 7,581.1 μg mL(-1) after 4 days. The prophylactic intraperitoneal injection of FRG-E (500 μg mouse(-1)) inhibited lung metastasis about 81.1%, while the inhibitory effect against tumor metastasis by treatment of EtOH extract from non-fermented red ginseng (NFRG-E) was 66.9%. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) and G (IgG) levels in the serum of healthy subjects were higher after FRG-E administration than at baseline, whereas NFRG-E induced reductions of these variables related to immunity. At 1 week, the change in IgA level by FRG-E (5.14 mg mL(-1)) was significantly higher than that by NFRG-E (-14.50 mg mL(-1); p < 0.05). It was concluded that the immunological activities of FRG-E were higher than those of NFRG-E, indicating that fermentation helped enhance the immunological activities of red ginseng.
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University Milk, Seoul 120-110, South Korea.
authors.forename: Bong-Gwan
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kwang-Soon
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Taek Joon
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Kwang-Won
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Kyung Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Ra
authors.forename: Jin Man
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sun Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyung Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Suh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005285:Fermentation; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity / Q000187:drug effects; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D048191:Lactiplantibacillus plantarum / Q000378:metabolism*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008875:Middle Aged; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D010936:Plant Extracts