Synthesis of a Novel α-Glucosyl Ginsenoside F1 by Cyclodextrin Glucanotransferase and Its In Vitro Cosmetic Applications.

Ginsenosides from Panax ginseng (Korean ginseng) are unique triterpenoidal saponins that are considered to be responsible for most of the pharmacological activities of P. ginseng. However, the various linkage positions cause different pharmacological activities. In this context, we aimed to synthesize new derivatives of ginsenosides with unusual linkages that show enhanced pharmacological activities. Novel α-glycosylated derivatives of ginsenoside F1 were synthesized from transglycosylation reactions of dextrin (sugar donor) and ginsenoside F1 (acceptor) by the successive actions of Toruzyme®3.0L, a cyclodextrin glucanotransferase. One of the resultant products was isolated and identified as (20S)-3ß,6α,12ß-trihydroxydammar-24ene-(20-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-D-glucopyranoside) by various spectroscopic characterization techniques of fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry (FAB-MS), infrared spectroscopy (IR), proton-nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR), 13C-NMR, gradient heteronuclear single quantum coherence (gHSQC), and gradient heteronuclear multiple bond coherence (gHMBC). As expected, the novel α-glycosylated ginsenoside F1 (G1-F1) exhibited increased solubility, lower cytotoxicity toward human dermal fibroblast cells (HDF), and higher tyrosinase activity and ultraviolet A (UVA)-induced inhibitory activity against matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) than ginsenoside F1. Since F1 has been reported as an antiaging and antioxidant agent, the enhanced efficacies of the novel α-glycosylated ginsenoside F1 suggest that it might be useful in cosmetic applications after screening.

Rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides as mediators of the eco-friendly synthesis of silver and gold spherical, face-centred cubic nanocrystals and its anti-migratory and cytotoxic potential in normal and cancer cell lines.

The water extract of Anemarrhena asphodeloides, the traditional oriental medicinal plant, mediated the eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Aa-AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (Aa-AuNPs). First, its therapeutic rhizome was powdered prior to water extraction and then silver, gold nanoparticles were synthesized. Aa-AgNPs and Aa-AuNPs were found to be spherical, face-centred cubic nanocrystals with a Z-average hydrodynamic diameter of 190 and 258 nm, respectively. In addition, proteins and aromatic biomolecules were the plausible players associated with the production and stabilization of Aa-AgNPs; instead, phenolic compounds were responsible for the synthesis and stability of Aa-AuNPs. In vitro cytotoxic analysis revealed that up to 50 µg.mL-1 concentration Aa-AuNPs did not exhibit any toxicity on 3T3-L1, HT29 and MCF7 cell lines, while being specifically cytotoxic to A549 cell line. On the contrary, Aa-AgNPs displayed a significantly higher toxicity in comparison to Aa-AuNPs in all cell lines specially MCF7 cell line. Since cancer cells were more sensitive to Aa-Au/AgNPs treatments, further evaluation was done in order to determine their anticancer potential. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was not affected by Aa-AuNPs, on the other hand, Aa-AgNPs treatment exhibited a higher potential to induce oxidative stress in A549 cells than HT29 and MCF7 cells. In addition, Aa-Ag/AuNPs reduced cell migration in A549 cells at 10 and 50 µg.mL-1, respectively. So far, this is the only report uncovering the ability of A. asphodeloides to synthesize silver and gold nanoparticles with anticancer potential and also indirectly enabling its large-scale utilization with value addition.

Pleuropterus multiflorus (Hasuo) mediated straightforward eco-friendly synthesis of silver, gold nanoparticles and evaluation of their anti-cancer activity on A549 lung cancer cell line.

Pleuropterus multiflorus (Hasuo) is a widely used medicinal plant in Korea and China for treating amnesia, isnomia, heart throbbing etc. With the constructive idea of promoting the wide-spread usage of P. multiflorus, we propose its indirect usage in the form of biologically active silver (Pm-AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (Pm-AuNPs). The synthesized nanoparticles were predominantly spherical, crystalline with the Z-average hydrodynamic diameter of 274.8nm and 104.8nm respectively. Also, proteins and phenols were identified as the major players involved in their synthesis and stability. Further, Pm-AgNPs at 25µg/mL were significantly cytotoxic to lung cancer cells, whereas, Pm-AuNPs were not cytotoxic to both normal keratinocyte and lung cancer cells even at 100µg/mL. In addition, further evaluation of the anti-cancer activity of these new nanoparticles, such as migration and apoptosis, shown that Pm-AgNPs have a potential therapeutic effect on A549 lung cancer cell treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report dissecting out the ability of the endemic P. multiflorus for the synthesis of bioactive silver and gold nanoparticle which would open up doors for its extensive usage in medicinal field.