Cancer ginsenoside effects

Finally, it has been shown that maturation of DCs is promoted by metabolized ginsenosides such as compound K. Takei et al (2004) showed that mature DCs differentiated with compound K enhance the differentiation of naive T cells toward the Thl t) e depending on lL-12 secretion, which clearly suggests that compound K has immunostimulatoty effects and that this compound is involved in the cancer preventive effects of ginseng and that compound K may be used on DC-based vaccines for cancer immunotherapy (Takei et al, 2004). 

Kikuchi, Y., Sasa, H., Kita, T., Hirata, J., Tode, T., and Nagata, I. (1991). Inhibition of human ovarian cancer cell proliferation in vitro by ginsenoside Rh2 and adjuvant effects of cisplatin in vivo. Anticancer Drugs 2, 6S-67. 

Since cancer chemotherapeutics were reported to exert part of their pharmacological effect by triggering apoptotic cell death, the search for apoptosis-inducing compounds in tumor cells have become useful for the development of anticancer drugs. There were few reports on the apoptotic activity of saponins, except those on ginsenosides. We will present here recent results obtained with other saponins from Liliaceae, Mimosaceae, Araliaceae, and Caryophyllaceae. 

Xu TM, Xin Y, Cui MH, Jiang X, Gu LP (2007) Inhibitory effect of ginsenoside Rg3 combined with cyclophosphamide on growth and angiogenesis of ovarian cancer. Chin Med J (Engl) 120 584-588... 

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