A narrative review of the pharmacology of ginsenoside compound K

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The ginsenoside compound K [20-o-beta-dglucopyranosyl-20 (S)-protopanaxadiol; CK] is the main deglycosylated metabolite of ginsenoside. As a rare ginsenoside converted from the active substance of ginseng by intestinal bacteria, CK has higher biological activity than other ginsenosides. It has demonstrated diverse and intriguing biological activities, including anti-carcinogenic, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammation, anti-allergy, anti-angiogenesis, anti-aging, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective effects. The purpose of this review was to elucidate the rich pharmacological activities and related mechanisms of ginsenoside CK in vivo and in vitro, as well as the potential therapeutic value of CK as a drug in a variety of systemically related diseases. METHODS: The PubMed database was searched for articles published in English from February 2008 to December 2021 using related keywords such as “Ginsenoside compound K”, “compound K”, and “CK”. About 140 research papers and reports written in English were identified. These papers mainly concentrated on the pharmacological activities of CK in cancer prevention, immune regulation, diabetic improvement, central nervous system (CNS) protection, cardiovascular protection, skin improvement, and hepatoprotection. KEY CONTENT AND FINDINGS: This paper describes the synthesis, pharmacokinetics, and adverse reactions of CK, as well as great detailed summarized of the relevant pharmacological activities. Such diverse intriguing biological properties of CK have been found. CONCLUSIONS: On account of CK’s numerous pharmacological activities and anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammation, antiallergic, anti-diabetic, anti-angiogenesis, anti-aging, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective effects, strong evidence is available for CK as a preventive or therapeutic agent for various diseases. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of CK as a drug and its application in the medical field.