Panax ginseng extract reduces citrinin production and attenuates nephrotoxicity in Monascus purpureus

AIMS: Monascus purpureus is a widely used filamentous fungus in food and medicinal fermentation, yet the co-production of citrinin, a nephrotoxic mycotoxin, poses significant safety concerns. In this study, we established a co-growth system of M. purpureus with Panax ginseng to investigate the regulatory effects of P. ginseng on citrinin biosynthesis and related toxicity. METHODS AND RESULTS: HPLC analysis revealed that P. ginseng supplementation significantly reduced citrinin production by approximately 68% without impairing fungal biomass accumulation. RT-qPCR results showed that the expression levels of four key citrinin biosynthetic genes (pksCT, ctnA, citB, citD) were markedly downregulated in the P. ginseng-treated group. In vivo toxicity evaluation using mice demonstrated that administration of M. purpureus fermentation extract led to increased serum blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, uric acid levels, and renal inflammation, whereas co-growth with P. ginseng effectively alleviated these nephrotoxic effects and significantly attenuated renal mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, and MCP-1 in renal tissue. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that P. ginseng can attenuate citrinin production and associated renal toxicity via transcriptional modulation of fungal secondary metabolism, suggesting a potentially effective strategy for the safe development of Monascus-derived functional foods and traditional medicine fermentation products.