J Korean Med Sci.  2001 Dec;16(Suppl):S38-S41. 10.3346/jkms.2001.16.S.S38.

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Anti-Tumor Promoting Activities of Heat-Processed Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer

• Surh YJ
• Na HK
• Lee JY
• Keum YS

• KMID: 1721173
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2001.16.S.S38

Abstract

Recently, there have been considerable efforts to search for naturally occurring substances that can inhibit, reverse, or retard the multi-stage carcinogenesis. A wide array of phenolic substances derived from edible and medicinal plants have been reported to possess anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic activities and in many cases, the chemopreventive activities of phytochemicals are associated with their anti-inflammatory and/or antioxidative properties. Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer cultivated in Korea has been widely used in traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of various diseases. Certain fractions or purified ingredients of ginseng have been shown to exert anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic activities. Our previous studies have revealed that the methanol extract of heat-processed Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer attenuates the lipid peroxidation in rat brain homogenates and is also capable of scavenging superoxide generated by xanthine- xanthine oxidase or by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in differentiated human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells. Topical application of the same extract onto shaven backs of female ICR mice also suppressed TPA-induced skin tumor promotion. Likewise, topical application of ginsenoside Rg3, one of the constituents of heat-treated ginseng, significantly inhibited TPA-induced mouse epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity and skin tumor promotion. Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in TPA-stimulated mouse skin was markedly suppressed by Rg3 pretreatment. In addition, Rg3 inhibited TPA-stimulated activation of NF-kB and extracellular-regulated protein kinase (ERK), one of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in mouse skin and also in cultured human breast epithelial cells (MCF-10A).

Keyword

Ginseng; Ginsenosides; Rg3; Chemoprevention; Cyclooxygenase-2; Anti-Carcinogenic Agents

MeSH Terms

Animal
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/*therapeutic use
Antioxidants
Heating
Human
Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism
Molecular Structure
NF-kappa B/metabolism
*Panax
Plant Extracts/*therapeutic use