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Planta Med 2011; 77(2): 133-140
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1250160
Biological and Pharmacological Activity
Original Papers
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Cellular Uptake of Ginsenosides in Korean White Ginseng and Red Ginseng and Their Apoptotic Activities in Human Breast Cancer Cells

Jung Il Lee1 [*] , Young Wan Ha4 [*] , Tae Won Choi1 , Hyun Jung Kim1 , Sung-Moo Kim1 , Hyeung-Jin Jang2 , Jung-Hye Choi3 , Man Ho Choi4 , Bong Chul Chung4 , Gautam Sethi5 , Sung-Hoon Kim1 , Kyoo Seok Ahn1 , Seung-Hoon Choi1 , Bum Sang Shim1 , Kwang Seok Ahn1
  • 1Department of Oriental Pathology, College of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 2Department of Biochemistry, College of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 3Department of Oriental Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 4Life/Health Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 5Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Further Information

Publication History

received February 1, 2010 revised June 23, 2010

accepted June 25, 2010

Publication Date:
28 July 2010 (online)

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Abstract

Panax ginseng has been reported to have cancer-preventive properties and, through anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and pro-apoptotic mechanisms, to influence gene expression. However, the comparison of Korean white ginseng (WG) and red ginseng (RG) in their apoptotic effects and the identification of the selective cellular uptake of the ginsenosides in human breast cancer cells have not yet been fully understood. In the present study, the relative nonpolar and protopanaxadiol (PPD) class ginsenosides exhibited more cytotoxic and efficient cellular uptake on MCF-7 cells compared with the relative polar and protopanaxatriol (PPT) class compounds. PPD class ginsenosides were present in RG in a 2.5 times higher concentration as compared to WG, while PPT class ginsenosides were only present in WG. Thus, RG exerted more potent cytotoxicity than WG against MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 cells. RG also increased the sub-G1 DNA contents of the cell cycle and Annexin V-positive apoptotic bodies undergoing apoptosis through the caspase-3 activation in MCF-7 cells. In addition, RG downregulated the proliferative and anti-apoptotic gene products and potentiated paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. Overall, RG contained a higher concentration of PPD class ginsenosides as compared to WG; the greater cellular uptake of PPD resulted in more substantial antiproliferative activity in human breast cancer cells.

Key words

Panax ginseng - Araliaceae - LC‐MS - red ginseng - cancer - caspase‐3

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1 These authors contributed equally to this study.

Dr. Kwang Seok Ahn

Department of Oriental Pathology
College of Oriental Medicine
Kyung Hee University

1 Hoegi-Dong Dongdaemun-Gu

130-701 Seoul

Republic of Korea

Phone: + 82 29 61 23 16

Fax: + 82 29 61 23 16

Email: ksahn@khu.ac.kr

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