LAUSR

After cultivation of ginseng, ginsenosides, which are the major active ingredients of gingeng, were approved for use by the food industry, and began to be used as added functional ingredients to try to improve the quality and price of functional foods. However, the interaction between different types of ginsenosides and nutrients needs further study. We investigated the effect of B-complex vitamins (which are essential nutrients) on the pharmacokinetics of the ginsenosides protopanaxatriol-type saponin Rg1, protopanaxadiol-type saponin Rb1, and oleanolic acid-type saponin Ro after oral administration. Ginsenosides Rg1, Rb1, and Ro, with or without B-complex vitamins, respectively, were administered orally to rats to evaluate their pharmacokinetics. The concentration of ginsenosides in plasma was determined by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were fitted using WinNonlin v6.2. After oral coadministration with B-complex vitamins, the area under the concentration-time curve from zero to infinity (AUC0-∞) of ginsenoside Rg1 was reduced by 70%, that of ginsenoside Rb1 was reduced by 43%, and that of ginsenoside Ro was reduced by 34%. The AUC0-∞ of ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 showed significant differences between different treatments, but the AUC0-∞ of ginsenoside Ro did not. These results suggest significant ginsenoside-nutrient interactions between ginsenosides Rg1, Rb1, and B-complex vitamins.