Progress in the Synthesis and Modification on Ginsenosides

Ginsenosides present various application in many areas, however, considering that the preparation of natural ginsenosides is comparatively in straitened circumstances, and not conducive to industrial production; the chemosynthesis and structural modification on natural ginsenosides with high yield and ready availability are significant in the discovery of new active ingredients and industrialization. Therefore, restriction on the achievement of ginsenosides from plants can be possibly solved by the method; moreover, derivatives of ginsenosides are be applied to the study of structure-activity relationship, thereby being beneficial to the development of new drugs. This paper reviews recent progress of the synthesis and structural modification for different types of ginsenosides, especially showing solicitude for damaran-type ginsenosides, which contain diverse ways of synthesis and modification (such as esterification, alkylation, sulfation, oxidation and catalytic hydrogenation). The prospect of ginsenosides in chemistry is evaluated synchronously. Keywords: Ginsenoside, saponins, chemosynthesis, modification, antitumor, configuration.