Phytochemical and Antithrombotic Effect of Panax notoginseng Grown in Viet Nam

Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F.H. Chen (Araliaceae) is widely used for improving cardiovascular disease in traditional medicine. This study aims to investigate phytochemical and antithrombotic effects of saponin fraction of P. notoginseng. The P. notoginseng roots were extracted with ethanol 80%, and the obtained extracts were partitioned using n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water, successively. The repeated silica gel and YMC C-18 silica gel column chromatogaraphy for the n-butanol fraction (saponin total fraction) afforded five saponins, ginsenosides Re, Rg1, Rd, Rc and Rb1. Their structures were identified on the basis of NMR, MS, IR spectroscopic analyses and compared with the published NMR data. The saponin total fraction was evaluated by the thrombolysis activity using in vitro clot lysis assay method. In addition, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT) were measured to evaluate the anticoagulation effect of saponin fraction. Our data reveal that thrombolysis activity of saponin fraction is dependent on saponin's concentration and APPT, PT were prolonged significantly by saponin fraction at 10000 μg/ml. Therefore, our data support the use of saponin fraction from Panax notoginseng to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases by anti-thrombosis activities.