jmbReview Cloning and Characterization of Ginsenoside-Hydrolyzing β-Glucosidase from Lactobacillus brevis That Transforms Ginsenosides Rb 1 and F 2 into Ginsenoside Rd and Compound K

Ginsenosides are the main active components in the plants of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, Panax quinquefolius, and Panax notoginseng. Ginsenosides have many reported pharmacological activities, such as anticancer [4], antiinflammatory [18], anti-allergic [2], anti-fatigue [21], and antidiabetic activities [11]. In addition to the medicinal usage of ginseng, it is also widely consumed as a functional food in tea, powder, and capsules. Almost 40 ginsenosides have been isolated from ginseng root. [5]. Ginsenosides that are highly present in ginseng that can be easily separated and purified include ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc, and Rd, the major protopanaxadiol-type ginsenosides, and Re, Rf, and Rg1, the major protopanaxatrioltype ginsenosides. The minor ginsenosides, including F1, F2, Rh1, Rh2, Rg2, Rg3, and compound K, show better pharmacological effects than the major ginsenosides, although their concentrations are low or absent in ginseng [20]. Thus, various studies have focused on transforming glycosylated ginsenosides to deglycosylated ginsenosides by hydrolysis of the sugar moieties [12]. Methods, including heating [8], acid hydrolysis [3], microbial transformation, and enzymatic transformation, have been utilized to hydrolyze high-content ginsenosides into minor ginsenosides [14, 17]. Among these methods, microbial and enzymatic transformations have greater potential due to their high specificity and mild reaction conditions [9,19]. β-Glucosidase from food-grade bacteria, including Aspergillus versicolor and Bacillus megaterium, convert ginsenoside Rb1 Received: May 18, 2016 Revised: June 28, 2016 Accepted: July 7, 2016