DETERMINATION OF AGLYCONES OF GINSENOSIDES IN GINSENG PREPARATIONS SOLD IN SWEDEN AND IN URINE SAMPLES FROM SWEDISH ATHLETES CONSUMING GINSENG

Recently developed gas chromatographic and gas chromatographic-mass sp ectrometric methods were used to characterize 17 different commercial ginseng preparations sold in Sweden. The contents of total ginsenoside s per capsule or per tablet varied from 2.1 to 13.3 mg. Unlike the oth er preparations, a red ginseng and three liquid ginseng preparations ( after releasing the sugar moieties from ginsenosides) were shown also to contain significant amounts of 20-epimers of 20(S)-protopanaxadiol and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol as well as their corresponding 24,25-hydrat ed compounds. In addition to the genuine and artificial sapogenins men tioned above, two epimeric pairs of prosapogenines (ginsenoside Rg(3) and 20 (S)-Rg(3), ginsenoside Rh-1 and 20(R)-Rh-1) were also found in the liquid formulations. These results suggest that hydrolysis, epimer ization and hydration in the side-chain of the aglycone moiety of gins enosides may occur in the liquid formulations under weak acidic condit ions (pH 3.0-3.5 with 9-10% of alcohol at room temperature). The new m ethod was also used to determine the aglycones of ginsenosides in urin e samples from Swedish athletes stating that they had consumed ginseng preparations within 10 days before urine collection. Out of the 65 sa mples analysed, 60 were found to contain 20(S)-protopanaxatriol. The c oncentrations of 20(S)-protopanaxatriol ginsenosides varied from 2 to 35 ng ml(-1) urine. This is the first demonstration of uptake of ginse nosides in humans after oral administration of ginseng preparations.