Dried American ginseng and red American ginseng, common processed products of American ginseng with hypoglycaemic activity, are classified as functional foods. This study employed UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap/MS to analyse the chemical composition of their ethanol extracts (EDAG and ERAG), identifying 47 ginsenosides including 9 differential saponins (Rg1, Re, Rg2, Rb1, Rc, Rb2, Rd, Rg6, and 20(R)-Rg3), accounting for 12.16% and 19.11% of total saponins in EDAG and ERAG, respectively. Using an IR-HepG2 cell model, EDAG and ERAG significantly increased glucose consumption and glycogen content, while reducing triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) levels. Ginsenosides Rb1, Rc, Rb2, Rd, and 20(R)-Rg3 normalised glucose metabolism; Rg2, Rb1, Rc, Rb2, and Rd ameliorated lipid metabolism disorders. Notably, ERAG showed stronger insulin resistance-improving activity than EDAG. This study provided theoretical support for the regulation of blood glucose by American ginseng and its processed products and aided the development of their functional foods.
Geng et al. (Fri,) studied this question.