Chemical constituents of Panax ginseng sprouts cultivated in Vietnam

Abstract Eight compounds, including 20( R )‐ginsenoside Rg 3 ( 1 ), Ginsenoside Rd ( 2 ), ginsenosides Rg 2 ( 3 ), ginsenosides Re ( 4 ), β ‐sitosterol ( 5 ), daucosterol ( 6 ), stigmasterol ( 7 ), and stigmasterol‐3‐ O ‐β‐glucoside ( 8 ) were isolated from the Panax ginseng sprouts cultivated in Vietnam. Their structures were elucidated by 1 H, 13 C NMR, and MS spectroscopic techniques and compared with the previous publication. In addition, their inhibitory activity on NO production and cytotoxic effects against human embryonic kidney cells (HEK‐293A) and human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) were evaluated. This is the first study of the phytochemical investigation of P. ginseng sprouts cultivated in Vietnam and ginseng sprouts also contained the same main active ginsenosides as in the 4–6‐year old roots.