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Biotransformation of Ginsenoside Rb1 to Ginsenoside F2 by Recombinant β-glucosidase from Rat Intestinal Enterococcus gallinarum

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Abstract

Panax ginseng is used as a traditional medicine and functional food in several Asian countries. Intestinal bacteria play an important role in the metabolism of components and the production of bioactive metabolites following oral consumption of P. ginseng. We researched the genetic and biochemical properties of the gene encoding β-glucosidase of rat intestinal bacteria that carries out the hydrolytic metabolic reactions. We isolated the ginsenoside-transforming Enterococcus gallinarum GM2 from rat colonic contents. After cloning the GH family 3 domain protein β-glucosidase gene (Bgy3) from E. gallinarum, we expressed and purified recombinant Bgy3 protein and then characterized it. We used LC-MS/MS to determine the metabolic profile of ginsenoside Rb1 generated by Bgy3. At pH 7.0 and 40°C, Bgy3 selectively removed the outer sugars of C-20 and C-3, and it produced ginsenoside F2 from ginsenoside Rb1, with a corresponding molar conversion yield of 45%. Bgy3 was found to hydrolyze the ginsenoside Rb1 according to the following pathways: Rb1 → gypenoside XVII → F2, or Rb1 → Rd → F2. Bgy3 functions in the metabolism of ginsenoside Rb1, effectively converting it into ginsenoside F2. This study clearly elucidated the relationship between intestinal bacteria and the metabolism of ginsenoside.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81660643), the 13th Five-Year Plan Science and Technology Research Project of Education Department of Jilin Province of China (JJKH20210586KJ), Innovative and Entrepreneurial Talent in Jilin Province of China (2020022).

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  1. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agriculture College of Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, 133002, China

    Chunlong Yan & Wei-Wei Dong

  2. College of Integration Science, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, 133002, China

    Chunyun Hao

  3. Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Wanzhu Jin

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Wanzhu Jin

  5. College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, 133002, China

    Lin-Hu Quan

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  1. Chunlong Yan
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Correspondence to Wei-Wei Dong or Lin-Hu Quan.

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Yan, C., Hao, C., Jin, W. et al. Biotransformation of Ginsenoside Rb1 to Ginsenoside F2 by Recombinant β-glucosidase from Rat Intestinal Enterococcus gallinarum. Biotechnol Bioproc E 26, 968–975 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-021-0008-2

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