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Review
. 2021 Aug 27:12:731288.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.731288. eCollection 2021.

Gut Microbiota: Novel Therapeutic Target of Ginsenosides for the Treatment of Obesity and Its Complications

Tongxi Zhuang  1   2 , Wei Li  1   3 , Li Yang  1   3 , Zhengtao Wang  1   3 , Lili Ding  1   3 , Mingmei Zhou  2
Affiliations
Review

Gut Microbiota: Novel Therapeutic Target of Ginsenosides for the Treatment of Obesity and Its Complications

Tongxi Zhuang et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Obesity, generally characterized by excessive lipid accumulation, is a metabolic threat worldwide due to its rapid growth in global prevalence. Ginsenosides are crucial components derived from natural plants that can confer metabolic benefits for obese patients. Considering the low bioavailability and degradable properties of ginsenosides in vivo, it should be admitted that the mechanism of ginsenosides on anti-obesity contribution is still obscure. Recently, studies have indicated that ginsenoside intervention has beneficial metabolic effects on obesity and its complications because it allows for the correction of gut microbiota dysbiosis and regulates the secretion of related endogenous metabolites. In this review, we summarize the role of gut microbiota in the pathogenetic process of obesity, and explore the mechanism of ginsenosides for ameliorating obesity, which can modulate the composition of gut microbiota by improving the metabolism of intestinal endogenous substances and alleviating the level of inflammation. Ginsenosides are expected to become a promising anti-obesity medical intervention in the foreseeable clinical settings.

Keywords: ginsenosides; gut microbiota; mechanism; obesity; target.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Chemical structures of representative primary ginsenosides from ginseng for improving obesity and its complications targeting at gut microbiota. (A). Protopanaxadiol type(PPD), (B). Protopanaxatriol type (PPT), (C). Oleanolic acids type (OA), (D). Literature deposited in the PubMed database from 2006 to 2020 using ginsenosides, obesity and complications as subject terms.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Deglycosylation process of ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg3 through gut microbiota regulation.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Main influential pathways for obesity improvement via the role of gut microbiota manipulation. Gut microbiota affects the oxidation of SCFAs, the absorption of LPS and inflammation level, changes intestinal mucosal permeability by acting on tight junction protein ZO-1, manages the metabolism of bile acids by regulating TGR5 and FXR, influences the metabolism of BCAA and release of intestinal hormones.
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