Potentiation of antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of cultured wild ginseng root extract through probiotic fermentation

Objectives This work aimed to determine some pharmacological properties of non‐fermented (WG) and fermented (FWG) extracts of cultured wild ginseng root. Methods WG was treated with Bifidobacterium longum to generate FWG. Ginsenoside patterns were analysed using thin‐layer chromatography and high‐performance liquid chromatography. The effect of WG and FWG on reactive oxygen species (ROS) was examined in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Intracellular ROS were detected by flow cytometry. Nitrite in culture supernatant fractions was determined using the Griess reaction. 1,1‐Diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl was used to determine anti‐radical activity. Cell viability was determined using 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Key findings FWG was rich in ginsenosides Rg3 and Rh2, compared with WG. FWG diminished the enhanced ROS level more strongly than WG in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Both WG and FWG decreased the nitrite levels in stimulated macrophage cells with half‐maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 2.7 and 1.5 mg/ml, respectively, implying that FWG had an enhanced anti‐inflammatory activity. Neither WG nor FWG exhibited cytotoxicity on the macrophage cells. In the radical scavenging assay, the IC50 values of WG and FWG were 32.6 and 0.78 mg/ml, respectively, suggesting that FWG had an increased scavenging activity. Conclusions FWG possesses enhanced antioxidative and anti‐inflammatory activity, indicating that fermentation of cultured wild ginseng root extract with a probiotic bacterium can strengthen some of its desirable effects.