THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF GINSENOSIDES: A MINI-REVIEW
Enos Mais, Raphael N. Alolga and Lian-Wen Qi*
ABSTRACT
Ginsenosides, the bioactive constituents from the various Panax
species are saponins. Saponins are a group of chemically diverse nonvolatile
natural compounds (secondary metabolites) that are mainly
produced by plants and certain marine organisms such as starfish and
Sea cucumbers. This mini-review gives a brief account of the general
biosynthetic pathways shared by all saponins and then focuses on
ginsenosides in particular. A knowledge of the biosynthetic pathway of
ginsenosides could be very helpful in the cultivation of genuine
ginseng breeds with the sole aim of obtaining the most bioactive
compounds.
Keywords: Ginsenosides, Panax, Saponins, biosynthetic pathways.
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