Comparative Pharmacokinetics of Ginsenoside Rg3 and Ginsenoside Rh2 after Oral Administration of Ginsenoside Rg3 in Normal and Walker 256 Tumor-bearing Rats

Background: Ginseng is Chinese traditional herbal medicine, and the ginsenoside Rg(3) is the main bioactive ingredient for the anti-tumor effect. However, there is no study on pharmacokinetics (PKs) of ginsenoside Rg(3) and its main metabolite after oral ginsenoside Rg(3) in tumor-bearing plasma. The aim of this study was to investigate the PK profiles of ginsenoside Rg(3) and ginsenoside Rh-2 after oral administration of pure ginsenoside Rg(3) were administered, and compare the difference of the PK profiles between normal and Walker 256 tumor-bearing rats. Materials and Methods: The concentrations of two ginsenosides in plasma were determined by using a simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatography. All the rats were divided randomly into two groups (Walker 256 tumor-bearing and normal groups). Each group received oral administration of 50 mg/kg ginsenoside Rg(3). Results: The results showed that ginsenoside Rh-2, possibly as a glycosylation hydrolysis product of ginsenoside Rg(3), were found in plasma after oral administration of ginsenoside Rg(3) to rats. Ginsenoside Rg(3) had shown better absorption than ginsenoside Rh-2, whether the oral administration of ginsenoside Rg(3), normal rats showed better absorption than tumor-bearing rats. Discussion and Conclusion: The PKs properties of the ginsenoside Rg(3) and ginsenoside Rh-2 differed between tumor-bearing rats and normal rats, including area under the plasma level/time curve and concentration maximum (P < 0.05).