AimsWe assessed the drug interaction profile of fermented red ginseng with respect to the activity of major cytochrome (CYP) P450 enzymes and of a drug transporter protein, P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp), in healthy volunteers.MethodsThis study was an open‐label crossover study. The CYP probe cocktail drugs caffeine, losartan, dextromethorphan, omeprazole, midazolam and fexofenadine were administered before and after 2 weeks of fermented red ginseng administration. Plasma samples were collected, and tolerability was assessed. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated, and the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of the geometric mean ratios of the parameters were determined from logarithmically transformed data. Values were compared between before and after fermented red ginseng administration using analysis of variance (anova).ResultsFifteen healthy male subjects were evaluated, none of whom were genetically defined as a poor CYP2C9, CYP2C19 or CYP2D6 metabolizer based on genotyping. Before and after fermented red ginseng administration, the geometric least‐square mean metabolic ratio (90% CI) was 0.901 (0.830–0.979) for caffeine (CYP1A2) to paraxanthine, 0.774 (0.720–0.831) for losartan (CYP2C9) to EXP3174, 1.052 (0.925–1.197) for omeprazole (CYP2C19) to 5‐hydroxyomeprazole, 1.150 (0.860–1.538) for dextromethorphan (CYP2D6) to dextrorphan, and 0.816 (0.673–0.990) for midazolam (CYP3A4) to 1‐hydroxymidazolam. The geometric mean ratio of the area under the curve of the last sampling time (AUClast) for fexofenadine (P‐gp) was 1.322 (1.112–1.571).ConclusionNo significantly different drug interactions were observed between fermented red ginseng and the CYP probe substrates following the two‐week administration of concentrated fermented red ginseng. However, the inhibition of P‐gp was significantly different between fermented red ginseng and the CYP probe substrates. The use of fermented red ginseng requires close attention due to the potential for increased systemic exposure when it is used in combination with P‐gp substrate drugs.

We attempted to investigate the effects of GE on scopolamine‐induced amnesia in rats using water maze test. Wistar rats were randomly allocated into 4 groups. Each group received 100, 500, or 1,000 mg/kg of the GE or cellulose daily for two week. After one week, scopolamine (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered 30 min daily before water maze test. The latency to find the platform was obtained in acquisition trial and working memory task and total time spent in the previous target quadrant was analyzed in probe trial. The control group administered cellulose for 1 week and scopolamine 30 min before water maze test showed significant increases in latency time in both acquisition trial and working memory task and time spent in the previous target quadrant in probe trial. The GE group treated with GE 500 mg/kg for 1 week and scopolamine 30 min before water maze test demonstrated significantly less latency time in acquisition trial compared to the control group. No significant differences were found in latency time in working memory task and total time spent in the previous target quadrant in probe trial. Our results suggest that GE may have ameliorating effects on the scopolamine induced amnesia in rats. Further studies need to be pursued to investigate long‐term effects of GE.

To investigate the effects of lecithin extracted from Japanese anchovy on blood passage and serum lipid profile were assessed in vivo. Sprague Dawley strain rats were divided into five groups of ten rats each; normal control, negative control and three dosages of lecithin treated groups (80, 200 and 500 mg/kg). Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL‐cholesterol, atherogenic index (AI) and cardiac risk factor (CRF) contents were significantly reduced in the lecithin treated groups compared to the negative control group (P<0.05). The level of serum serotonin in the lecithin treated groups was significantly reduced compared to the negative control group (P<0.05). The platelet aggregation was inhibited in lecithin treated groups. There was no significant difference compared to the negative control group. Blood passage time of the lecithin treated group showed a tendency to decrease compared to the negative control group, which was studied with micro channel array flow analyzer (MC‐FAN). Also, in the histopathological assay of aorta wall lumen, the cholesterol aggregation level in the lecithin treated groups was reduced compared to the negative control group. All these results suggest that Japanese anchovy‐extracted lecithin might have anti‐atherogenic effect via lipid profile improvement.