Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model
Published on: June 6, 2025
Ginsenoside Rb1 promotes neurotransmitter release by modulating phosphorylation of synapsins through a cAMP-dependent
Jian-Fei Xue1, Zhi-Jun Liu2, Jin-Feng Hu2
1Institute of Material Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, PR China; Medical College of Chinese People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin 300162, PR China.
Abstract:
Ginseng, the root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (Araliaceae), has been extensively used in traditional oriental medicine for the prevention and treatment of aging-related disorders for over 2000 years. Accumulating evidence suggests that ginsenosides such as Rg1 and Rb1, which are the pharmacologically active ingredients of ginseng, modulate neurotransmission. Synapsins are abundant phosphoproteins essential for regulating neurotransmitter release. All synapsins contain a short amino-terminal domain A that is highly conserved and phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), which plays a key role in regulating neurotransmitter release. In the present study, we demonstrated that both Rg1 and Rb1 increased neurotransmitter release in undifferentiated and differentiated PC12 cells. However, in the presence of the PKA inhibitor H89, Rg1, but not Rb1, still induced neurotransmitter release. Moreover, Rb1, but not Rg1, enhanced the phosphorylation of synapsins via PKA pathway. In summary, Rb1 promotes neurotransmitter release by increasing the phosphorylation of synapsins through the PKA pathway, whereas the similar effects observed with Rg1 are independent of the phosphorylation of synapsins.
Related Concept Videos
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade
cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways
GPCRs Regulate Adenylyl Cylase Activity
Two...
Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors
Major types that are helpful drug targets include:
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
MAPK Signaling Cascades
