Enzymatic preparation of minor saponins and intestinal bacterial saponin metabolites of ginseng.: Part III.: Marked production of ginsenosides Rd, F2, Rg3, and compound K by enzymatic Method

The hydrolysis of protopanaxadiol-type saponin mixture by various glycoside hydrolases was examined. Among these enzymes, crude preparations of lactase from Aspergillus oryzae, beta-galactosidase from A. oryzae, and cellulase from Trichoderma viride were found to produce ginsenoside F-2 [3-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-20-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol], compound K [20-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol], and ginsenoside Rd {3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-20-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadioll, respectively, from protopanaxadiol-type saponin mixture in large quantities. Moreover, the crude preparation of lactase from Penicillium sp. having a high producing activity of ginsenoside Rh-1 (6-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxatriol) from protopanaxatriol-type saponin mixture gave ginsenoside Rd as a main product, ginsenoside Rg(3) {3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 -> 2)-beta-D-glucopyran osyl]-20(S)-protopanaxadiol}, and compound K from protopanaxacliol-type saponin mixture. The hydrolytic pathways of ginsenosides Rb-1, Rb-2, and Rc to ginsenosides Rd, Rg(3), and F-2, and compound K by crude preparations of four glycoside hydrolases were also studied. This is the first report on the enzymatic preparation of an intestinal bacterial metabolite, ginsenoside F-2, in quantity, and a considerable amount of a minor saponin, ginsenoside Rg(3), from a protopanaxadiol-type saponin mixture.