Wild ginseng adventitious roots restore sleep homeostasis in sleep-deprived Drosophila melanogaster
- 1Shanghai Jiao Tong University , ,
- 2Tonghua Herbal Biotechnology Co., Ltd. , ,
- 3The Affiliated Hospital to Changchun University of Chinese Medicine , ,
Abstract
Introduction: Sleep deprivation is increasingly recognized as a major health concern and is associated with impaired physiological and neurological functions. Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. has long been used to improve sleep quality; however, the limited availability and long cultivation cycle of natural ginseng restrict its sustainable utilization. Wild ginseng adventitious roots (ADV), produced via plant tissue culture, provide a renewable source of bioactive ginsenosides, although their potential role in sleep regulation remains poorly understood.
Methods: The sleep-promoting effects and safety of ADV were evaluated in a sleep deprivation-induced Drosophila melanogaster model. Sleep parameters, including total sleep duration, sleep latency, deep sleep, and sleep fragmentation, were assessed, together with addiction-like behavioral assays. Transcriptomic analysis was performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms. LC-MS/MS and bioactivity assays were conducted to identify and validate major active ginsenosides.
Results: ADV significantly improved sleep behavior in sleep-deprived flies, increasing total sleep duration and deep sleep while reducing sleep latency and sleep fragmentation, without inducing addiction-like behaviors. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that ADV modulated multiple sleep-related biological processes, particularly stress response pathway, as evidenced by altered expression of Hsp68, Hsp70Aa, Hsp70Ba, Hsp70Bb, and Hsp70Bbb . Combined with LC-MS/MS identification and biological activity comparison, ginsenosides Rc and F2 were preliminarily identified as the principal active metabolites.
Conclusion: In the Drosophila melanogaster sleep-deprivation model, ADV treatment is associated with improvements in sleep-related behavioural parameters alongside altered expression of conserved stress-response-related biological processes. These findings support ADV as a sustainable source of bioactive ginsenosides, though the current experimental design cannot establish a strictly sleep-specific or causal mechanistic relationship.
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BibTeX
@article{chen2026wild,
title = {{Wild ginseng adventitious roots restore sleep homeostasis in sleep-deprived Drosophila melanogaster}},
author = {Hong Chen and Xiangzhu Li and Hang Chi and Yongjun Zheng and Yingna Li and Lu Xing and Rui Ma and Liwei Sun and Xuenan Chen},
journal = {Frontiers in pharmacology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fphar.2026.1907250},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672481},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Wild ginseng adventitious roots restore sleep homeostasis in sleep-deprived Drosophila melanogaster
AU - Hong Chen
AU - Xiangzhu Li
AU - Hang Chi
AU - Yongjun Zheng
AU - Yingna Li
AU - Lu Xing
AU - Rui Ma
AU - Liwei Sun
AU - Xuenan Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/02
JO - Frontiers in pharmacology
DO - 10.3389/fphar.2026.1907250
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13672481
AB - Introduction: Sleep deprivation is increasingly recognized as a major health concern and is associated with impaired physiological and neurological functions. Panax ginseng C. A. Mey. has long been used to improve sleep quality; however, the limited availability and long cultivation cycle of natural ginseng restrict its sustainable utilization. Wild ginseng adventitious roots (ADV), produced via plant tissue culture, provide a renewable source of bioactive ginsenosides, although their potential role in sleep regulation remains poorly understood. Methods: The sleep-promoting effects and safety of ADV were evaluated in a sleep deprivation-induced Drosophila melanogaster model. Sleep parameters, including total sleep duration, sleep latency, deep sleep, and sleep fragmentation, were assessed, together with addiction-like behavioral assays. Transcriptomic analysis was performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms. LC-MS/MS and bioactivity assays were conducted to identify and validate major active ginsenosides. Results: ADV significantly improved sleep behavior in sleep-deprived flies, increasing total sleep duration and deep sleep while reducing sleep latency and sleep fragmentation, without inducing addiction-like behaviors. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that ADV modulated multiple sleep-related biological processes, particularly stress response pathway, as evidenced by altered expression of Hsp68, Hsp70Aa, Hsp70Ba, Hsp70Bb, and Hsp70Bbb . Combined with LC-MS/MS identification and biological activity comparison, ginsenosides Rc and F2 were preliminarily identified as the principal active metabolites. Conclusion: In the Drosophila melanogaster sleep-deprivation model, ADV treatment is associated with improvements in sleep-related behavioural parameters alongside altered expression of conserved stress-response-related biological processes. These findings support ADV as a sustainable source of bioactive ginsenosides, though the current experimental design cannot establish a strictly sleep-specific or causal mechanistic relationship.
SN - 1663-9812
ER -