The objective of this study was to compare the compositions and immuno-enhancing effects of 6-year-old red ginseng powder (RGP) with those of its fractions. RGP was subjected to extraction with 100% ethanol to obtain an ethanol fraction (E) and residue 1 (R1). Then, R1 was subjected to extraction with distilled water to obtain water fraction (W) and residue 2 (R2). Chemical compositions were as follows: 4.94% acidic polysaccharides and 1.56% ginsenosides (amounts of Rg1, Re, Rf, Rg2, Rb1, Rc, Rd, and Rg3) in RGP, 0.11% acidic polysaccharides and 6.99% ginsenosides in E, 4.93% acidic polysaccharides and 0.40% ginsenosides in R1, 0.50% acidic polysaccharides and 0.30% ginsenosides in R2, and 7.46% acidic polysaccharides and 0.61% ginsenosides in W. Immuno-enhancing effects of fractions from RGP were examined based on suppression of immune responses by cyclophosphamide. In the first fraction test, the antibody response to SRBCs increased significantly in the R1-treated group, but not the E-treated group. In the second fraction test, W showed higher immuno-enhancing effect than R1 and R2. W, which contained the highest amount of acidic polysaccharides, restored numbers of T and B cells, macrophages, as well as CD4 + and CD8 + T cells in the spleen suppressed by cyclophosphamide. These results suggest that acidic polysaccharides from red ginseng may be more effective than saponin in enhancing immune functions and reducing immunotoxicity of cyclophosphamide. Key words: Korea red ginseng, acidic polysaccharides, antibody forming cells, T cells, B cells

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