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Efficient Regeneration-based Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of an Asexual Amphibious Brassicaceae Species, Rorippa aquatica
Published on: January 16, 2026
Microbial transformation of 20(S)-protopanaxatriol-type saponins by Absidia coerulea
Guangtong Chen1, Min Yang, Zhiqiang Lu
1Shanghai Research Center for Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guo Shoujing Road, Zhangjiang, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Three 20(S)-protopanaxatriol-type saponins, ginsenoside-Rg1 (1), notoginsenoside-R1 (2), and ginsenoside-Re (3), were transformed by the fungus Absidia coerulea (AS 3.3389). Compound 1 was converted into five metabolites, ginsenoside-Rh4 (4), 3beta,2beta,25-trihydroxydammar-(E)-20(22)-ene-6-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5), 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rh1 (6), 20(R)-ginsenoside-Rh1 (7), and a mixture of 25-hydroxy-20(S)-ginsenoside-Rh1 and its C-20(R) epimer (8). Compound 2 was converted into 10 metabolites, 20(S)-notoginsenoside-R2 (9), 20(R)-notoginsenoside-R2 (10), 3beta,12beta,25-trihydroxydammar-(E)-20(22)-ene-6-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (11), 3beta,12beta-dihydroxydammar-(E)-20(22),24-diene-6-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (12), 3beta,12beta,20,25-tetrahydroxydammaran-6-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (13), and compounds 4-8. Compound 3 was metabolized to 20(S)-ginsenoside-Rg2 (14), 20(R)-ginsenoside-Rg2 (15), 3beta,12beta,25-trihydroxydammar-(E)-20(22)-ene-6-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (16), 3beta,12beta-dihydroxydammar-(E)-20(22),24-diene-6-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (17), 3beta,12beta,20,25-tetrahydroxydammaran-6-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (18), and compounds 4-8. The structures of five new metabolites, 10-13 and 16, were established by spectroscopic methods.

