인삼유효성분에 의한 강장 효과를 생체내 에너지 대사 과정과 연관시켜 새로운 생화학적 및 약리학적 견지에서 연구 검토하였으며, 이의 중요 결과는 다음과 같음. 즉 인삼의 메타놀 추출물은 토끼 근육으로 부터 유리한 효소인 creatine phospkokinase(CPKase)의 활성도를 증가시킴을 알았으며, 이러한 활성도의 증가 또는 활성화는 인삼 추출물의 농도에 따라 변화하되 약 5mg/ml 농도 이상에서는 최대 활성화율인 약 2배 정도로 유지됨을 알았다. 아울러 생체 투여 실험에 있어 생쥐에 인삼 추출물을 4주간 투여 (10mg/day)한 경우 심장 근육 조직 내의 phosphocreatine의 함량이 현저히 증가 되었으며 이런 현상은 동물을 36시간 동안 굶겼을 경우에도 대조군보다 높은 값을 유지됨을 알았다. 이러한 인삼추출물에 의한 효과는 세포내 에너지 대사과정과 밀접한 관계를 맺고 있다고 추정할 수 있었으며 인삼 유효성분의 주요 약효를 에너지 대사와 관계된 강장 효과로서 설명코져 시도하였음.
The biochemical efficacy of Panax ginseng was studied with the methanolic extract of ginseng by a new biochemical approach employing a rabbit muscle creatine phosphokinase (CPKase, EC 2.7, 3.1). The study included both effects of ginseng extract on the in vitro activity of CPKase and on the tissue levels of phosphocreatine and ATP by in vivo administration. In this study, the activity of CPKase was measured in both directions of its reversible reactions with the corresponding coupled enzyme systems, and it was demonstrated that ginseng extract causes a marked acceleration in the rate of the in vitro activity of CPKase up to about two fold and shows a hyperbolic saturation curve in its concentration dependent relative activity profile of CPKase. In addition, from the in vivo experiment with mice, it was also demonstrated that the administration of ginseng extract orally causes an increase in the tissue level of phosphocreatine and thus prevents the decrease in the tissue content of phosphocreatine which goes along with a period of fasting the animals. From the results, it was also suggested that ginseng extract may affects on the energy-linked cellular metabolic reactions by promoting the activity of CPKase and thus causes an efficient utilization of high-energy phosphates for many cellular metabolic activities under the stressful conditions.
