Inhibition of pathogen adhesion to host cells by polysaccharides from Panax ginseng.

PG-F2 and PG-HMW from Panax ginseng are pectin-type polysaccharides and PG-HMW might be an arabinogalactan. They demonstrated strong anti-adhesive activities against oral and skin pathogens to host cell lines in a dose-dependent manner from 0.1 to 2.0 mg/ml. While enzymatic hydrolysis caused complete loss of anti-adhesive activities, partial hydrolysis produced oligosaccharides with anti-adhesive properties. PG-F2 and PG-HMW might have a selective anti-adhesive effect against certain pathogenic bacteria without adverse effects on commensal bacteria.