Isolation and Physiological Activites of a New Amino Acid Derivative from Korean Red Ginseng

고려인삼으로부터 새로운 아미노산 유도체의 분리 및 생리활성

Three unknown ninhydrin positive substances (UK-I, UK-II and UK-III) were detected with an amino acid analyzer in a water extract of Korean red ginseng. One of them (UK-II) was isolated and determined to be maltulosyl arginine (Arg-Fru-Glc) on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence. Another one (VK-III) was identified as Arg-Fru. Maltulosyl arginine, but not Arg-Fru, is a newly identified amino acid derivative. The Korean red ginseng was shown to contain more amount of maltulosyl arginine than the white ginseng. Maltulosyl arginine was found to be produced by the Mallard reaction of maltose with arginine during the heating process involved in preparation of the red ginseng. Maltulosyl arginine was found to inhibit maltase activity. Based on these results, the physiological significance of this new compound is discussed.