Studies on Insulin-Like Substances in Korean Red Ginseng

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Abstract
Korean red ginseng powder was found to contain adenosine and an acidic substance which inhibited epinephrine-induced lipolysis and stimulated insulin-mediated lipogenesis from glucose (3,4). In the present experiment, the chemical structure of this acidic substance is determined to be pyro-glutamic acid. Pyro-glutamic acid exhibits selective modulations toward the opposite metabolic pathways in rat adipocytes; it inhibits the lipolysis but rather stimulates the lipogenesis. Based on these results, we suggest to call these substances (adenosine and pyro-glutamic acid) “selective modulators”.