Fatty Acid Composition of Seeds From Wild and Cultivated Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer): Occurrence of a High Level of Petroselinic Acid

Abstract

medicine for thousands of years. In the Russian Far East, ginseng grows naturally in taiga forests and is enlisted in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation. In many countries, ginseng is cultivated as a medicinal plant. Recent pharmacological investigations confirm the healing effects of ginseng on human health, which are associated mainly with the action of glycosides (ginsenosides) localized in roots [1]. Furthermore, many other numerous compounds such as phytosterols, polyphenols, polyacetylenes, alkaloids, lipids, and polysaccharides have also been identified in ginseng plants [1]. The information on chemical composition of ginseng seeds and berries is still limited. As is reported in some publications, ginseng seeds contain a substantial amount of oil (10-26 %) [2][3][4][5][6][7]. The major FAs of ginseng seeds are oleic 18:1(n-9), cis-vaccenic 18:1(n-7), and linoleic 18:2(n-6) [3][4][5]7]. The oleic acid content of oil from the American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) reaches 87 % of total FA [4,5]. In our work, we compared both total lipid content and FA composition between seeds collected from wild and cultivated Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer). We paid special attention to FA analysis, because, according to our data, the main FA in ginseng seeds is petroselinic 18:1(n-12) acid rather than the oleic one, as was reported earlier [3][4][5]7]. Petroselinic acid is known to have a specific biosynthesis pathway and a particular physiological activity [8,9]. Materials and Methods Ginseng SeedsMature seeds of wild ginseng were collected from plants found in three forest (taiga) localities of Spassky District (Primorsky Krai, Russia) in 2011 and 2012. The exact Abstract The lipid content and fatty acid (FA) composition of seeds from the Asian ginseng Panax ginseng growing naturally in taiga forests of the Russian Far East and seeds from cultivated ginseng were studied in this work. The total lipid content of seeds from both wild and cultivated plants was 9-12 % of fresh weight. FA were analyzed as isopropyl esters on a polar capillary column BD-225, which allows good separation of petroselinic and oleic acids. The structure of FAs was confirmed using GC-MS of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and 4,4-dimethyloxazoline derivatives. In all the seed samples, the major FA was petroselinic acid 18:1(n-12) which comprised more than 60 %; the contents of oleic and linoleic acids were lower (15-17 and 15-16 %, respectively). Earlier, a higher level (>80 %) of oleic acid had been reported for ginseng seeds. This discrepancy can be explained by an insufficient separation of these acids on standard columns used for GC of FAME. In general, seeds of wild and cultivated ginseng are very similar in lipid content and FA composition. ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that petroselinic acid is a major component in lipids of ginseng seeds, as well as the similarity between seeds from wild and cultivated plants both in lipid content and fatty acid composition. Compliance with Ethical StandardsConflict of interest The au...

Protective Activity and Underlying Mechanism of Ginseng Seeds against UVB-Induced Damage in Human Fibroblasts

“…Ginseng seeds are used to cultivate ginseng and recent studies have shown that ginseng seeds contain biologically active compounds similar to those in ginseng roots [ 18 ]. Ginseng seeds contain functional compounds, such as fatty acids [ 19 ], phytosterols [ 20 ], and saponins [ 18 ]. These compounds in the ginseng seeds have been reported to prevent skin aging [ 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”