The Effects of Environmental Factors on Ginsenoside Biosynthetic Enzyme Gene Expression and Saponin Abundance

Abstract

Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer is one of the most important medicinal plants in Northeast China, and ginsenosides are the main active ingredients found in medicinal ginseng. The biosynthesis of ginsenosides is regulated by environmental factors and the expression of key enzyme genes. Therefore, in this experiment, ginseng in the leaf opened stage, the green fruit stage, the red fruit stage, and the root growth stage was used as the test material, and nine individual ginsenosides and total saponins (the sum of the individual saponins) were detected by HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography). There was a trend of synergistic increase and decrease, and saponin accumulation and transfer in different tissues. The expression of key enzyme genes in nine synthetic pathways was detected by real-time PCR, and the correlation between saponin content, gene expression, and ecological factors was analyzed. Correlation analysis showed that in root tissue, PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) and soil water potential had a greater impact on ginsenoside accumulation, while in leaf tissue, temperature and relative humidity had a greater impact on ginsenoside accumulation. The results provide a theoretical basis for elucidating the relationship between ecological factors and genetic factors and their impact on the quality of medicinal materials. The results also have guiding significance for realizing the quality of medicinal materials.

Changes in the Leaf Physiological Characteristics and Tissue-Specific Distribution of Ginsenosides in Panax ginseng During Flowering Stage Under Cold Stress

“…In the xylem and leaves, the PPD/PPT ratio is slightly less than 1, indicating that the accumulation rates of the two configurations of saponins in the xylem and leaves are similar, while the PPD/PPT ratio in the xylem is between 0.21 and 0.48, indicating that the accumulation of PPT-type ginsenosides in the xylem exceeds that of PPD-type ginsenosides. This indicates that the biosynthesis of ginsenosides has obvious tissue specificity, which is consistent with the results of previous studies ( Zhang et al, 2014 , 2018 ).…”

Discrimination and quality evaluation of fifteen components in Stauntonia hexaphylla leaves from different harvest time by HPLC–PDA–ESI–MS/MS and ELSD coupled with multivariate statistical analysis and anti-inflammatory activity evaluation

“…As can be clearly seen from the chromatograms, only peak 4 (YJ-002), peak 10 (ciwujianoside A1), peak 15 (ciwujianoside C3), and peak 12 (cussonoside A) were detected in SHL harvested in spring, which hinted that SHL was not suitable for harvesting in spring since the content of various components was relatively low or even non-existent. Additionally, these results proved that the accumulation of chemical components is closely related to seasonal factors, which is consistent with previous reports [30,31]. The sampling site for this study was Goheung, Jeollanam-do province, which is located in the northern region of South Korea.…”

New Insights into the Impact of Ecological Factor on Bioactivities and Phytochemical Composition of Paeonia veitchii

“…Generally, the response process of medicinal plants to non‐biological environment is very complicated and often correlated with each other. The stimulation of different ecological factors can activate similar cell signal transduction pathways to affect their chemical substances and ultimately cause differences in their medicinal activities [42] …”

“…The stimulation of different ecological factors can activate similar cell signal transduction pathways to affect their chemical substances and ultimately cause differences in their medicinal activities. [42] These data indicate that ecological factors have a strong correlation with the medicinal activity of the roots of P. veitchii. From the correlation analysis, four ecological factors (average annual temperature, elevation, total potassium, organic matter) were selected as the major ecological factor plays a key role for quality control and rapid evaluation of P. veitchii root in its medical activity.…”