Abstract
These studies were designed to examine the effects of ginsenosides on glutamate neurotransmission. In primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule cells, ginsenosides (Rb1, Rc and Rg1, 500 μg/ml) increased glutamate release which was measured by HPLC, but Re did not show an elevation of glutamate release. However, all of these ginsenosides down-regulated N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced glutamate release. Rc strongly increased glutamate release and elevated intracellular calcium concentrations (Ca2+ i) which was measured by ratio fluorometry with FURA-2 AM. These, results indicate that ginsenosides have a homeostatic effect on glutamate neurotransmission, and there is a structure-function relationship among the ginsenosides tested.
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Oh, S., Kim, H.S. & Seong, Y.H. Effects of ginsenosides on the glutamate release and intracellular calcium levels in cultured rat cerebellar neuronal cells. Arch. Pharm. Res. 18, 295–300 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02976321
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02976321