Screening of DPP4 inhibitors from <i>Panax ginseng</i> using affinity ultrafiltration screening coupled with UPLC-ESI-Orbitrap-MS method

DPP4 is a crucial target for diabetes, and whether ginsenosides derived from <i>Panax ginseng</i> can exert their hypoglycaemic effects by inhibiting DPP4 has not been reported yet. To solve this issue, our study used affinity ultrafiltration screening coupled with UPLC-ESI-Orbitrap-MS method to screen DPP4 inhibitors from <i>Panax ginseng</i>, and finally total 7 ginsenosides belonging to oleanane-type saponins were screened out. Our study systematically screened and identified DPP4 inhibitors from <i>Panax ginseng</i> for the first time, and the results revealed that inhibiting DPP4 activity so as to produce hypoglycaemic effects probably was another important mechanism for ginsenosides exerting hypoglycaemic effects, which was attributed to oleanane-type saponins but not protopanaxadiol-type and protopanaxatriol-type saponins.