Ginseng nonsaponins: New insights into their pharmacological potentials in inflammasome-driven inflammation and immunopathology.

The inflammatory response comprises a priming phase that prepares for inflammation and a subsequent triggering phase that activates and amplifies inflammatory signaling in cells. A critical event during the triggering phase is the activation of inflammasomes, cytosolic multiprotein complexes that function as signaling platforms to promote inflammatory responses. Although canonical and noncanonical inflammasomes are activated by distinct ligands, both play pivotal roles in inflammatory processes and contribute to the development of a wide range of human diseases. Consequently, inflammasomes have emerged as promising therapeutic targets for the regulation of inflammation and the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Ginseng and its major saponin constituents, ginsenosides, have been extensively reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory functions, at least in part, through the inhibition of inflammasome activation, emphasizing their therapeutic potential in inflammasome-associated diseases. Beyond ginsenosides, accumulating evidence has highlighted the biological relevance of ginseng-derived nonsaponin components and has begun to elucidate their mechanisms of action in inflammatory conditions, particularly through the modulation of inflammasome activation. This review summarizes current findings on the regulatory roles of ginseng nonsaponins in inflammasome-mediated inflammatory responses and highlights their potential as novel herbal therapeutics to prevent and treat inflammasome-driven human diseases.