Enrichment of Ginseng Rare Sapogenin 25-OH-PPT and Its Protective Effect on Myocardial Fibrosis

Ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer), a traditional Chinese medicine, and the rare ginsenosides contained in it have various physiological activities. 25-OH-PPT (T19) is a rare natural dammarane-type ginseng sapogenin. Pharmacological studies have shown that T19 has good hypoglycemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. In the research, we optimized the T19 enrichment process and explored the potential mechanism of T19 in myocardial oxidative stress. Firstly, we studied a hydrolysis process on ginseng stems and leaves ginsenosides. Optimization factors include acid types, acid concentrations, ultrasound time, and ultrasound temperature. To develop safer preparation conditions more suitable for production scaleup, we studied the difference in hydrolysis between inorganic acid and food acids. The results show that using hydrochloric acid to hydrolyze ginsenosides in ginseng stems and leaves can increase the content of T19 to 12.16%. When using edible citric acid, the maximum content of T19 is 1.9%. However, using citric acid for hydrolysis has higher safety and non-toxic properties. Meanwhile, the myocardial protective effect of T19 was evaluated, indicating that T19 could effectively reduce isoproterenol (ISO)-induced oxidative stress injury by reducing the levels of LDH and CK-MB and regulating the contents of antioxidant enzymes SOD, lipid peroxidation product MDA, and non-enzymatic antioxidant GSH in cardiomyocytes. Further study demonstrated that regulation of fibrosis markers Collagen I, Collagen III, and α-SMA was involved in the potential mechanism of T19 efficiency.