Hepatoprotective effects of Panax notoginseng: Ginsenosides -Re and -Rg(1) as its active constituents in D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury.

The hepatoprotective effects of the methanol and water extracts of the roots of Panax notoginseng were studied on various animal models. The methanol and water extracts of P. notoginseng showed a significant activity in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in rats. However, the methanol extract was found to be more active. The hepatoprotective effects of the methanol extract was further evaluated using D-galactosamine as well as heat-killed Propionibacterium acnes/lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury models. Two major isolates from the methanol extract, ginsenosides-Re and -Rgl, showed a significant hepatoprotective effect on D-galactos-amine/lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury in mice.