Panax quinquefolius (North American Ginseng) Polysaccharides as Immunomodulators: Current Research Status and Future Directions

Abstract

Panax quinquefolius (North American ginseng, NAG) is a popular medicinal plant used widely in traditional medicine. NAG products are currently available in various forms such as roots, extracts, nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, energy drinks, etc. NAG polysaccharides are recognized as one of the major bioactive ingredients. However, most NAG reviews are focused on ginsenosides with little information on polysaccharides. NAG polysaccharides have demonstrated a therapeutic activity in numerous studies, in which many of the bioactivities involve regulation of the immune response. The purpose of this review is to summarize the structural features and the immunomodulatory properties of crude, partially purified, and pure polysaccharides isolated from NAG. Receptors of the innate immune system that potentially bind to NAG polysaccharides and the respective signal transduction pathways initiated by these compounds are discussed. Major challenges, recent innovations, and future directions in NAG polysaccharide research are also summarized.

The Synergistic Effects of Polysaccharides and Ginsenosides From American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) Ameliorating Cyclophosphamide-Induced Intestinal Immune Disorders and Gut Barrier Dysfunctions Based on Microbiome-Metabolomics Analysis

“…On the one hand, studies reported that ginsenosides Rb1 could stimulate the phagocytic capacity of macrophages for bacteria via activation of the Fcgamma receptors and p38/Akt pathway (48), while the combination use of ginsenoside Rg3, Rk1, Rg5 could stimulate immune reactions through nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) and cytokine secretion (49,50). In addition, polysaccharides could potentially activate receptors like Toll-like receptors (TLRs), Ctype lectin receptors, and so on (51), which are the key receptors related to intestinal immunity against pathogen (52,53). On the other hand, many studies have suggested that even though polysaccharides is non-digestible, it was still used as immunomodulator.…”

The positive role of traditional Chinese medicine as an adjunctive therapy for cancer

“…It is native to eastern North America and widely inhabits several Canadian and US states. Along with ginsenosides, polysaccharides have been identified as one of the major bioactive ingredients in American ginseng, and polysaccharides may possess paradoxical immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive properties (16). A multisite, double-blind randomized trial in which cancer survivors with fatigue (n = 364) took 2,000 mg of American ginseng vs. a placebo for 8 weeks was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of American ginseng on CRF (17).…”

Comparisons of Isolation Methods, Structural Features, and Bioactivities of the Polysaccharides from Three Common Panax Species: A Review of Recent Progress

“…As published in 2020, the structural characteristics and immunomodulatory properties of American ginseng polysaccharides have been summarized [ 21 ]. In this review, we summarize the structural features of polysaccharides from American ginseng from all publications until April 2021, which are listed in Table 2 .…”

“…At present, approximately 200 active substances in these three species have been discovered, including saponins [ 6 , 7 , 8 ], polysaccharides [ 9 , 10 ], oligosaccharides [ 11 , 12 ], polyacetylenes [ 13 , 14 ], peptides [ 15 , 16 ], and bioactive proteins [ 17 ]. Polysaccharides are the main active components and have demonstrated diverse pharmacological functions, such as anti-tumor [ 18 , 19 ], immune system modulation [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ], anti-oxidant [ 24 , 25 ] and anti-aging [ 26 ] activities, as well as others [ 27 , 28 ].…”