Tag Archives: science
Ginsenoside fractions regulate the action of monocytes and their differentiation into dendritic cells
Comparative study of Korean White Ginseng and Korean Red Ginseng on efficacies of OVA-induced asthma model in mice
Effect of Korean Red Ginseng supplementation on dry eye syndrome in glaucoma patients – A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
Effect of sun ginseng potentiation on epirubicin and paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in human cervical cancer cells
Korean Red Ginseng attenuates ethanol-induced steatosis and oxidative stress via AMPK/Sirt1 activation – Accepted Manuscript
Abstract: Background: Alcoholic steatosis is the early and most common liver disease, and may precede the onset of more severe forms of liver injury.Methods: Here, we tested the effect of Korean Red Ginseng extract (RGE) in two murine models of ethanol (EtOH)-feeding and ethanol-treated hepatocytes.Results and Conclusion: Blood biochemistry analysis demonstrated that RGE treatment improved liver function. Histopathology and measurement of hepatic triglyceride content verified the ability of RGE to inhibit fat accumulation. Consistent with this, RGE administration down-regulated hepatic lipogenic gene induction and restored hepatic lipolytic gene repression by EtOH. The role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver diseases (ALD) is well established. Treatment with RGE attenuated EtOH-induced CYP2E1, 4-hydroxynonenal and nitrotyrosine levels. Alcohol consumption also decreased phosphorylation of AMPK, which was restored by RGE. Moreover, RGE markedly inhibited fat accumulation in EtOH-treated hepatocytes, which correlated with a decrease in SREBP-1 and a commensurate increase in Sirt1 and PPARα expression. Interestingly, the ginsenosides Rb2 and Rd, but not Rb1, significantly inhibited fat accumulation in hepatocytes. These results demonstrate that RGE and its ginsenoside components inhibit alcoholic steatosis and liver injury by AMPK/Sirt1 activation in vivo and in vitro both, suggesting that RGE may have a potential to treat ALD.
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Seasonal changes in soil acidity and related properties in ginseng artificial bed soils under a plastic shade – Accepted Manuscript
Abstract: Background: In Changbai Mountains, Panax ginseng (ginseng) was cultivated in a mixture of the humus and albic horizons of albic luvisol in raised garden with plastic shade. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of ginseng planting on soil characteristics.Methods: The mixed-bed soils were seasonally collected at intervals of 0-5, 5-10 and 10-15 cm for different-aged ginsengs. Soil physico-chemical characteristics were studied using general methods. Aluminium (Al) was extracted from the soil solids with NH4Cl (exchangeable Al, Ex-Al3+) and Na-pyrophosphate (organic Al, Alp) and was measured with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer.Results: A remarkable decrease in the pH, concentrations of exchangeable calcium (Ex-Ca2+), NH4+, total organic carbon (TOC) and Alp, as well as a pronounced increase in the bulk density were observed in the different-aged ginseng soils from one spring to the next. The decrease in pH in the ginseng soils was positively correlated with the NH4+ (r=0.463, p
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Effect of sun ginseng potentiation on epirubicin and paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in human cervical cancer cells – Accepted Manuscript
Abstract: Background: Sun ginseng (SG), a specific formulation of quality-controlled red ginseng contains approximately equal amounts of three major ginsenosides (RK1, Rg3, and Rg5), which reported has anti-tumor promoting activities in animal models.Method: MTT assay was employed to assess whether SG can potentiate the anticancer activity of epirubicin or paclitaxel in human cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa cells, human colon cancer SW111C cells, and SW480 cells; Apoptosis status was analyzed by Annexin V-FITC and PI and analyzed by flow cytometry; Apoptosis pathway was studied by analysis of caspas-3, -8, and -9 activation, mitochondrial accumulation of Bax and Bak, and cytochrome c release.Results: SG remarkably enhances cancer cell death induced by epirubicin or paclitaxel in human cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa cells, human colon cancer SW111C cells, and SW480 cells. Results of the mechanism study highlighted the cooperation between SG and epirubicin or paclitaxel in activating caspases-3 and -9 but not caspase-8. Moreover, SG significantly increased the mitochondrial accumulation of both Bax and Bak triggered by epirubicin or paclitaxel as well as the subsequent release of cytochrome c in the targeted cells.Conclusions: SG significantly potentiated the anticancer activities of epirubicin and paclitaxel in a synergistic manner. These effects were associated with the increased mitochondrial accumulation of both Bax and Bak that led to an enhanced cytochrome c release, caspase-9/-3 activation, and apoptosis. Treating cancer cells by combining epirubicin and paclitaxel with SG may prove to be a novel strategy for enhancing the efficacy of the two drug types.
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Ginsenoside fractions regulate the action of monocytes and their differentiation into dendritic cells – Accepted Manuscript
Abstract: Background: Ginseng, the root of Panax ginseng, has been extensively used in traditional oriental medicine and is a modern pharmaceutical reagent for the prevention of various human diseases, including cancer. Ginsenosides are the major active component of ginseng and exhibit immunomodulatory effects. However, the mechanism and function underlying such effects have not been fully elucidated, especially in human monocytes and dendritic cells (DCs).Methods: We investigated the immunomodulatory effect of ginsenosides from the root of Panax ginseng on CD14+ monocytes purified from human adult peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and differentiation into DCs that affect CD4+ T cell activity.Results: The results showed that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 increased in monocytes upon treatment with ginsenoside fractions through phosphorylation of ERK1/2 (pERK1/2) and JNK, but not p38 MAP kinase. Interestingly, TNF-α production and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and JNK decreased in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-sensitized monocytes upon treatment with ginsenoside fractions. Next, we confirmed that DCs derived from CD14+ monocytes in the presence of ginsenoside fractions (Gin-DCs) contained decreased levels of the co-stimulatory molecules, CD80 and CD86. In the presence of ginsenoside fractions, expression of these co-stimulatory molecules decreased in LPS-treated DCs compared with LPS-treated DCs in the absence of ginsenoside fractions. Furthermore, Gin-DCs treated with LPS could not induce proliferation and IFN-γ production of CD4+ T cells at co-culture of Gin-DCs with CD4+ T cells.Conclusion: These results suggest that ginsenoside fractions from the ginseng root suppress cytokine production and maturation of DCs treated with LPS, resulting in the down-regulation of CD4+ T cells.
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Comparative study of Korean White Ginseng and Korean Red Ginseng on efficacies of OVA-induced asthma model in mice – Accepted Manuscript
Abstract: Background: Korean ginseng is a well-known medicinal herb that has been widely used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases, including asthma. Ginseng can be classified as white or red ginseng, accordance to processing conditions. In this study, the authors compared the efficacies of these two ginseng types in mouse model of acute asthma.Methods: To produce the acute asthma model, BALB/c mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) and aluminum hydroxide, and then challenged with OVA. White and red ginseng extracts (WG and RG) were administered to mice orally. The influences of WG and RG on airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), immune cell distributions in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and OVA-specific IgE, IgG1, and IgG2a in serum were investigated. Cytokine productions by lymphocytes isolated from peribronchial lymph nodes and histopathological changes also examined.Results: In OVA-sensitized mice, both WG and RG reduced AHR and suppressed immune cell infiltration in bronchoalveolar regions. BALF OVA-specific IgE levels were significantly lower in RG treated OVA-sensitized mice than in OVA-sensitized control group. WG and RG also suppressed inflammatory cytokine production by peribronchial lymphocytes. Histopathological findings showed reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and airway remodeling (e.g., epithelial hyperplasia) in WG and RG treated OVA mice than in OVA controls.Conclusion: In this study, WG and RG showed anti-asthmatic effects in an OVA-sensitized mouse model, and the efficacies of RG were found to be better than those of WG.
