Ginsenoside, the major active component in Panax ginseng, which has been used in
traditional Chinese medicine, contains a series of derivatives of the
triterpene dammarane being attached by some
sugar moieties. To clarify the relationship between the structure of
ginsenoside and its properties, 11 individual
ginsenosides, along with the central structures of
ginsenoside,
protopanaxadiol and
protopanaxatriol, are used in 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane hydrochloride) (
AAPH) induced
hemolysis of human erythrocytes, a good experimental model to research
free radical induced membrane damage and to evaluate the antioxidative or prooxidative activities of various
antioxidants conveniently. It is found that the central structures of
ginsenosides, either
protopanaxadiol or
protopanaxatriol, play a prooxidative role in
AAPH-induced
hemolysis of erythrocytes. As to the individual
ginsenoside, if there are no
sugar moieties attached to the 20-position of the
triterpene dammarane, the
ginsenoside acts as a prooxidant, that is, Rg3, Rh2, and Rg2. A
glucose attached to the 6-position instead of the 20-position
sugar moieties can make the
ginsenoside an
antioxidant, that is, Rh1. The
antioxidants among
ginsenosides follow two different mechanisms that can be expressed mathematically by the Boltzmann equation, that is, Rc and Rb1, and a polynomial equation, that is, Re, Rd, R1, Rg1, Rb3, and Rh1. The orders of antioxidative ability are Rc > Rb1 and Re > Rd > R1 > Rg1 > Rb3 > Rh1, respectively.