Ginsenoside Rg1: A bioactive therapeutic agent for diverse liver diseases
Ming‐Kung Wu, Ke Li, Jiabin Wu, Xianyi Ding, Xiaodan Ma, Wenhong Wang, Weihua Xiao
Abstract
Diverse liver diseases are characterised by late diagnosis and rapid progression and have become one of the major threats to human health. To delay the transition from benign tissue lesions to a substantial organ injury, scientists have gradually applied natural compounds derived from plants as a complementary therapy in the field of hepatology. Ginseng ( Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) is a tonic traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and natural products, including ginsenoside Rg1 (G-Rg1), which is a kind of 20( S )-protopanaxatriol saponin with a relatively high biological activity, can be isolated from the roots or stems of ginseng. Given these information, this review aimed to summarise and discuss the metabolic mechanisms of G-Rg1 in the regulation of diverse liver diseases and the measures to improve its bioavailability. As a kind of monomer in Chinese medicine with multitarget pharmacological effects, G-Rg1 can provide significant therapeutic benefits in the alleviation of alcoholic liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, liver fibrosis, viral hepatitis, etc., which mainly rely on the inhibition of apoptosis, strengthening endogenous anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms, activation of immune responses and regulation of efflux transport signals, to improve pathological changes in the liver caused by lipid deposition, inflammation, oxidative stress, accumulation of hepatotoxic product, etc. However, the poor bioavailability of G-Rg1 must be overcome to improve its clinical application value. In summary, focusing on the hepatoprotective benefits of G-Rg1 will provide new insights into the development of natural Chinese medicine resources and their pharmaceutical products to target the treatment of liver diseases. • G-Rg1 effectively alleviates diverse liver diseases and can be used as a daily health product. • Improve the bioavailability of G-Rg1 to promote the treatment of clinical diseases with integrated Chinese and Western medicine. • The metabolic regulation of G-Rg1 intervention in liver diseases was reviewed in detail. • The main pharmacokinetics and drug–drug interaction related to G-Rg1 were summarised.