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Anti-proliferative effects of ginsenosides extracted from mountain ginseng on lung cancer

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Abstract

Objective

To investigate the effect of three major ginsenosides from mountain ginseng as anticancer substance and explore the underlying mechanism involved in lung cancer.

Methods

The inhibitory proliferation of lung cancer by major five ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rg1, Rc, and Re) was examined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. Calculated 50% inhibition (IC50) values of five ginsenosides were determined and compared each other. Apoptosis by the treatment of single ginsenoside was performed by fluorescence-assisted cytometric spectroscopy. The alterations of apoptosis-related proteins were evaluated by Western blot analysis.

Results

The abundance of ginsenosides in butanol extract of mountain ginseng (BX-MG) was revealed in the order of Rb1, Rg1, Re, Rc and Rb2. Among them, Rb1 was the most effective to lung cancer cell, followed by Rb2 and Rg1 on the basis of relative IC50 values of IMR90 versus A549 cell. The alterations of apoptotic proteins were confirmed in lung cancer A549 cells according to the administration of Rb1, Rb2 and Rg1. The expression levels of caspase-3 and caspase-8 were increased upon the treatment of three ginsenosides, however, the levels of caspase-9 and anti-apoptotic protein Bax were not changed.

Conclusion

Major ginsenosides such as Rb1, Rb2 and Rg1 comprising BX-MG induced apoptosis in lung cancer cells via extrinsic apoptotic pathway rather than intrinsic mitochondrial pathway.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Life Science, Korea Basic Science Institute, Daejeon, 305-333, Korea

    Dong Gyu Lee, Young-Rang Kim, Kyeong Eun Yang, So Jung Yoon, Zee-Won Lee, Ik-Soon Jang & Jong-Soon Choi

  2. East-West Cancer Center, Dunsan Oriental Hospital of Daejeon University, Daejeon, 302-122, Korea

    Sung-Il Jang & Hwa-Seung Yoo

  3. Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 305-764, Korea

    So Jung Yoon, Hyun Joo An & Jong-Soon Choi

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  1. Dong Gyu Lee
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  2. Sung-Il Jang
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Correspondence to Hyun Joo An or Jong-Soon Choi.

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Lee, D.G., Jang, SI., Kim, YR. et al. Anti-proliferative effects of ginsenosides extracted from mountain ginseng on lung cancer. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 22, 344–352 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-014-1789-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-014-1789-8

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