Ginseng-derived Exosome Research and Application

Ginseng has a long history in traditional herbal medicine in Asia and is believed to possess various medicinal properties such as immune regulation, antioxidant effects, and anti-fatigue properties. However, while the medicinal value of ginseng is widely recognized, its bioactive components and mechanisms are still the subject of ongoing research. Exosomes, as small vesicles released by cells, may carry various bioactive molecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, and small molecules. These molecules may play a crucial role in the medicinal properties of ginseng. Creative Biolabs summarizes and looks ahead to the potential of ginseng-derived exosomes to support innovative research for our customers.

Medicinal Properties of Ginseng

Ginseng is a highly regarded traditional Chinese medicinal plant with a long history in Asian traditional medicine. Some of the primary benefits of ginseng have garnered widespread attention in both traditional and modern medicine.

Skin Health and Beauty: Ginseng is rich in ginsenosides, which help tighten the skin, regulate moisture balance, prevent skin dehydration, and inhibit melanin production. Therefore, ginseng is considered to contribute to smoother, softer, and whiter skin, promoting beauty and anti-aging.
Central Nervous System Regulation: Compounds in ginseng, such as ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1, have a balancing effect on the brain. They can promote the conversion and utilization of energy substances in the brain, leading to calming effects, improved memory, insomnia prevention, and treatment of forgetfulness and depression. These effects help enhance the function of the central nervous system.
Improved Cardiovascular Function: Ginseng has various effects on the heart, including initial excitation followed by inhibition and increased myocardial contractility. It is also believed to help prevent high blood pressure and heart disease, regulate blood supply to the heart and brain, prevent strokes, intracerebral hemorrhage, and headaches, among other conditions. These properties contribute to maintaining cardiovascular health.
Enhanced Immune Function: Ginseng polysaccharides are immune enhancers that help boost the activity of the immune system. They can improve immunity in individuals with weakened immune systems, poor resistance, and reduce side effects during radiotherapy while promoting the repair of damaged tissues. Additionally, ginsenosides can enhance stress resistance, including adaptability to hypoxia, high temperatures, and cold temperatures.
Anti-Tumor Effects: Although further research is needed, some laboratory studies suggest that certain components in ginseng may have a role in inhibiting the growth of tumor cells.

Research on Ginseng-derived Exosomes

In recent years, scientists have conducted more in-depth research on ginseng, focusing not only on its medicinal components but also on an intriguing biomolecule called exosomes.

Potential Function	Target	In Vitro Function	In Vivo Function	Research Results (or Illustrations)
Anti-Tumor	Macrophages	Promotes macrophage polarization toward the M1 phenotype.	Inhibits melanoma growth and increases the number of M1 macrophages in tumor tissue.	Fig.1 Proposed strategy for the ginseng-derived nanoparticles (GDNPs) to reprogramme macrophage polarization.¹
Anti-Skin Aging	Skin Cells	Improves replicative senescence of skin cells by downregulating age-related molecules. Reduces melanin deposition by downregulating melanogenesis-related proteins.	Not mentioned	Fig.2 Ginseng cell-derived extracellular vesicles (GcEVs) showed anti-senescence and anti-pigmentation effects.²
Promotion of Stem Cell Neural Differentiation	Stem Cells	Promotes the differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) into nerve cells.	Ginseng-derived exosomes, in combination with chemotactic factors, efficiently recruit stem cells to wound sites and accelerate neural regeneration by activating the PI3K/RAS pathway.	Fig.3 Scheme of the ginseng-derived exosomes (G-Exos) stimulation in the neural differentiation of BMSCs.³
Activation of Tumor-Associated Macrophages (TAMs)	TAMs	Not mentioned	Modifies the cold tumor microenvironment, activates T lymphocytes, and regulates TAMs' function, thereby enhancing the immune therapeutic effect of PD-1 mAb.	Fig.4 Ginseng-derived nanoparticles potentiate immune checkpoint antibody efficacy by reprogramming the cold tumor microenvironment.⁴
Promotion of Wound Healing	Skin Cells	Promotes skin cell proliferation, migration, blood vessel formation, and collagen synthesis.	Accelerates skin wound healing and reduces inflammation.	Fig.5 Ginseng-derived nanoparticles induce skin cell proliferation and promote wound healing.⁵
Resistance to Osteoporosis	Osteoclasts and Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages (BMMs)	Maintains the vitality and proliferative capacity of BMMs by encapsulating rich Rb1 and Rg1 ginsenosides. Inhibits osteoclast maturation by blocking the RANKL signaling pathway.	Anti-osteoporosis through the inhibition of osteoclast differentiation.	Fig.6 Schematic diagram of pathways by which GDNs suppress osteoclastogenesis in BMMs.⁶
Anti-Tumor	Glioblastoma	Inhibits the growth of glioblastoma cells and suppresses macrophage polarization toward the M2 phenotype.	Specifically inhibits the growth of glioblastoma.	Fig.7 In vivo anticancer effect induced by GENs and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis.⁷

These research findings suggest that ginseng-derived exosomes have various potential pharmacological actions that can be applied in multiple fields, including immunotherapy, skin care, treatment of neurological disorders, and osteoporosis treatment, among others. These discoveries offer new possibilities for using exosomes as a therapeutic tool. If you or your team are interested in researching ginseng-derived exosomes or any other related projects, Creative Biolabs provides plant-derived exosome extraction and development services to offer technical support and assistance. Please feel free to contact us. We would be willing to further discuss and collaborate to meet your research needs.

Plant-Derived Exosome Isolation

Plant-Derived Exosome Identification

High-Throughput Screening Analysis (Proteins, RNA, Lipids and Metabolites)

Target Analysis

In Vitro Functional Discovery of Plant-Derived Exosomes

In Vivo Functional Discovery of Plant-Derived Exosomes

Large-Scale Production of Plant-Derived Exosomes

References

Cao, M.; Yan, H.; et al. Ginseng-derived nanoparticles alter macrophage polarization to inhibit melanoma growth. The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. 2019. 7(1):326.
Cho, EG.; Choi, SY.; et al. Panax ginseng-derived extracellular vesicles facilitate anti-senescence effects in human skin cells: an eco-friendly and sustainable way to use ginseng substances. Cells. 2021. 10(3).
Xu, XH.; Yuan, TJ.; et al. Plant exosomes as novel nanoplatforms for microRNA transfer stimulate neural differentiation of stem cells in vitro and in vivo. Nano Letters. 2021. 21(19):8151-8159.
Han, X.; Wei, Q.; et al. Ginseng-derived nanoparticles potentiate immune checkpoint antibody efficacy by reprogramming the cold tumor microenvironment. Molecular Therapy. 2022. 30(1):327-340.
Yang, S.; Lu, S.; et al. Ginseng-derived nanoparticles induce skin cell proliferation and promote wound healing. Journal of Ginseng Research. 2023, 47(1):133-143.
Seo, K.; Yoo, JH.; et al. Ginseng-derived exosome-like nanovesicles extracted by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation to inhibit osteoclast differentiation. Nanoscale. 2023, 15(12):5798-5808.
Kim, J.; Zhu, Y.; et al. Anti-glioma effect of ginseng-derived exosomes-like nanoparticles by active blood-brain-barrier penetration and tumor microenvironment modulation. Journal of Nanobiotechnology. 2023, 21(1):253.