Oxygen free radicals are highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons, which are produced with in aerobic cells in the course of normal metabolic events. Normally, aerobic cells are protected from the damage of free radicals by antioxidative enzy...
Oxygen free radicals are highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons, which are produced with in aerobic cells in the course of normal metabolic events. Normally, aerobic cells are protected from the damage of free radicals by antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione (GSH) peroxidase, GSH S-transferase and GSH reductase which scabvenge free radicals as well as nonenzymatic antioxidants such as ceruloplasmin, albumin and nontioxidants in order to elucidate antioxidative mechanisms of red ginseng. The treatment with total saponin of red ginseng significantly devreased the contents of malondialdehyde and total free radicals in the liver. On the other hand, total saponin of red ginseng significantly increased the activities of SOD, catalase and GSH reductase and nonprotein-SH level. These results suggest that total saponin of red ginseng exerts an antioxidative effect by increasing endogenous antioxidants.