Co-transformation of Panax major ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 to minor ginsenosides C–K and F1 by Cladosporium cladosporioides

Abstract

Abstract Rb1 and Rg1 are the major ginsenosides in protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol. Their content in ginsenosides was 23.8 and 17.6%, respectively. A total of 22 isolates of β-glucosidase producing microorganisms were isolated from the soil of a ginseng field using Esculin-R2A agar. Among these isolates, the strain GH21 showed the strongest activities to convert ginsenoside Rb1 and Rg1 to minor ginsenosides compound-K and F1, respectively. Ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 bioconversion rates were 74.2 and 89.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, the results demonstrated that the ginsenoside Rg1 could change the biotransformation pathway of ginsenoside Rb1 by inhibiting the formation of the intermediate metabolite gypenoside-XVII. GH21 was identified as a Cladosporium cladosporioides species based on the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rRNA gene sequences constructed phylogenetic trees.