Acute and chronic effects of ginseng saponins on maternal aggression in mice

The present study investigated the acute and chronic effects of crude ginseng saponin (CGS), pure ginsenoside Rb1 (GS-Rb1) and ginsenoside Rg1 (GS-Rg1) on maternal aggression in mice. Maternal aggression was determined on postpartum days 5 and 7 in female mice that had been housed alone since the end of the 4-day mating period. Acute intraperitoneal administration of CGS (50 and 100 mg/kg) and GS-Rb1 (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) significantly suppressed maternal aggression in a dose-dependent manner, whereas GS-Rg1 was ineffective. As compared with the vehicle-treated group, chronic treatment with CGS (50 mg/kg) and GS-Rb1 (2.5 mg/kg) significantly suppressed maternal aggression without causing motor dysfunction, whereas GS-Rg1 (2.5 mg/kg) showed a tendency to facilitate maternal aggression. These findings indicate that the root of Panax ginseng contains a psychoactive ingredient, GS-Rb1, which can suppress maternal aggression.