Processes of making North American ginseng fractions, products containing them, and use as immunomodulators
AssigneeCV Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJacqueline J. Shan, Peter K. T. Pang, Buhan Huang, Lei Ling
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention is directed to chemical processes of preparing fractions from North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) and pharmaceutical compositions containing these fractions. The products of the present invention may be used to stimulate the production of cytokines and/or antibodies, or as therapeutics targeted at conditions characterized by low immunity, such as the common cold, influenza, chronic fatigue syndrome, AIDS and cancer.
Claims50
A process of preparing ginseng fraction PQ2, the process comprising:
- (a) combining American ginseng with a first solvent comprising an alcohol and heating the resulting solution at a temperature of about 80-100° C. for a time period of about 2-4 hours to produce a first ginseng solution;
- (b) thereafter separating the first ginseng solution to produce an alcohol/ginseng solution and a first ginseng residue;
- (c) thereafter combining the first ginseng residue with water and heating the resulting solution at a temperature of about 80-100° C. for a time period of about 2-4 hours to produce a ginseng residue solution;
- (d) thereafter separating the ginseng residue solution to produce a second ginseng residue and a first aqueous extract solution containing a first ginseng extract;
- (e) providing a second aqueous extract solution which comprises at least a part of the first ginseng extract, wherein in the second aqueous extract solution the proportion of the first ginseng extract to water is about 1:18 to 1:22;
- (f) thereafter combining the second aqueous extract solution with a second solvent comprising an alcohol, wherein the proportion of the second solvent to water is about 1:1 to 3:5, to produce a first precipitate and a first supernatant;
- (g) thereafter combining the first supernatant produced in step (f) with a third solvent comprising an alcohol, wherein the proportion of the third solvent to first supernatant is about 3:2 to 3:1, to produce a second precipitate and a second supernatant;
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- (h) isolating the second precipitate to produce ginseng fraction PQ2.
A process of preparing ginseng fraction CVT-E002, the process comprising:
- (a) combining American ginseng with a first solvent comprising an alcohol in a proportion of about 7-9 ml of first solvent per gram of ginseng and heating the resulting solution at a temperature of about 80-100° C. for a time period of about 2-4 hours, to produce a first ginseng solution;
- (b) thereafter separating the first ginseng solution to produce an alcohol/ginseng solution and a first ginseng residue;
- (c) thereafter combining the first ginseng residue with water in a proportion of about 7-9 ml of water per gram of ginseng residue and heating the ginseng residue solution at a temperature of about 80-100° C. for a time period of about 2-4 hours, to produce a ginseng residue solution;
- (d) thereafter separating the ginseng residue solution to produce a second ginseng residue and an aqueous extract solution containing a ginseng extract;
- and
- (e) drying or concentrating the aqueous extract solution to produce ginseng fraction CVT-E002.
A ginseng fraction, having a carbohydrate content which comprises about 2-6 mol % rhamnose, about 41-49 mol % galacturonic acid, about 12-18 mol % glucose, about 16-22 mol % galactose and about 12-19 mol % arabinose.
A ginseng fraction, having a carbohydrate content which comprises about 3-8 mol % rhamnose, about 36-44 mol % galacturonic acid, about 2-7 mol % glucose, about 25-33 mol % galactose and about 17-25 mol % arabinose.
A ginseng fraction, having a carbohydrate content which comprises about 0.5-5 mol % rhamnose, about 11-22 mol % galacturonic acid, about 40-60 mol % glucose, about 10-19 mol % galactose and about 11-19 mol % arabinose.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.