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The investigation aimed to study the effect of ginseng on the hepatic glutathion S-transferase activity. The ginseng methanol extract was administered to rats and mice for 10 days and their hepatic gluthatione S-transferase activities were measured by the method of Habig et al. Glutathione S-transferase activities in the rat treated with 100 and 500mg/kg ginseng methanol extract were increased by 13.4% and 17.10% respectively and their increases were statistically significant. Similar results were also found in the mouse treated with ginseng 100mg/kg methanol extract. To investigate components of the extract which induce the enzyme, the methanol extract was fractionated into ether and butanol fraction and their effect on the enzyme was compared. Glutathione S-transferase activities in the rat treated with ether fraction were increased by 13.1%, similar to that obtained with ginseng methanol extract, whereas, butanol fraction did not show any increase in the enzyme activities. In the rats treated with maltol, one of the components in ether fraction, 5mg/kg for 10 days, activity of glutathione S-transferase was increased by 7.89%, but its increase was not significantly different from control group. Therefore, it may be concluded that ginseng methanol extract and its ether soluble fraction had effect on the elevation of glutathione S-transferase activities, whereas, butanol fraction of ginseng methanol extract had no effect on the enzyme.
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