Overview of Methods to Enhance the Oral Bioavailability of Saponins in Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen

Abstract

Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen is a valuable medicinal herb used extensively in East Asian countries. Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) are main bioactive compounds that exhibit a variety of beneficial effects, including improving blood circulation, inhibiting platelet aggregation and thrombosis, combating arterial plaque formation, protecting the nervous system, hemostasis, wound healing, and lowering blood glucose levels. However, PNS has low permeability and instability in acidic environments, resulting in poor oral bioavailability of PNS, thereby limiting its practical application in clinical treatment. Therefore, enhancing the oral bioavailability of PNS is a crucial issue. In this overview, several factors influencing the oral bioavailability of PNS including chemical structure, the efflux of P-glycoprotein and gut microbiota, and various approaches applied to improve the oral bioavailability of PNS such as enhancing drug permeability and protecting against the acidic gastric environment were introduced.