Panax ginseng and its ginsenosides: potential candidates for the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects.

Chemotherapy-induced side effects affect the quality of life and efficacy of treatment of cancer patients. Current approaches for treating the side effects of chemotherapy are poorly effective and may cause numerous harmful side effects. Therefore, developing new and effective drugs derived from natural non-toxic compounds for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects is necessary. Experiments in vivo and in vitro indicate that Panax ginseng (PG) and its ginsenosides are undoubtedly non-toxic and effective options for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects, such as nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and hematopoietic inhibition. The mechanism focus on anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, and anti-apoptosis, as well as the modulation of signaling pathways, such as nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), P62/keap1/Nrf2, c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/P53/caspase 3, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4)/JNK, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT. Since a systemic review of the effect and mechanism of PG and its ginsenosides on chemotherapy-induced side effects has not yet been published, we provide a comprehensive summarization with this aim and shed light on the future research of PG.

A comparative study on immune-stimulatory and antioxidant activities of various types of ginseng extracts in murine and rodent models.

BACKGROUND: Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a widely used traditional herbal supplement that possesses various health-enhancing efficacies. Various ginseng products are available in market, especially in the Korean peninsula, in the form of drinks, tablets, and capsules. The different ginseng types include the traditional red ginseng extract (RGE), white ginseng, and black red ginseng extract (BRGE). Their fermented and enzyme-treated products are also available. Different treatment regimens alter the bioavailability of certain compounds present in the respective ginseng extracts. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to compare the antioxidant and immune-stimulating activities of RGE, BRGE, and fermented red ginseng extract (FRGE). METHODS: We used an acetaminophen-induced oxidative stress model for investigating the reduction of oxidative stress by RGE, BRGE, and FRGE in Sprague Dawley rats. A cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression model was used to evaluate the immune-stimulating activities of these ginseng extracts in BALB/c mice. RESULTS: Our results showed that most prominently, RGE (in almost all experiments) exhibited excellent antioxidant effects via increasing superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities in the liver and decreasing serum 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase levels compared with the groups treated with FRGE and BRGE. Moreover, RGE significantly increased the number of white blood cells, especially T and B lymphocytes, and antibody-forming cells in the spleen and thymus, and it also activated a number of immune cell subtypes. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results indicate that RGE is the best supplement for consumption in everyday life for overall health-enhancing properties.

Adjuvant effects of fermented red ginseng extract on advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the adjuvant therapeutic effects of fermented red ginseng (FRG) extract on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with chemotherapy. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with advanced NSCLC were divided into two groups using a random number table, i.e., the gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GP) chemotherapy alone group (26 patients) and the FRG + GP chemotherapy group (34 patients), for 60-day treatment. Patients were then assessed according to the Fatigue Symptom Inventory, Chinese medicine symptoms score, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Karnofsky Performance Status Scale, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung. In addition, chemotherapy toxicity and tumor biomarkers were measured. RESULTS: For NSCLC patients after chemotherapy, FRG extract significantly improved the FSI score, CM symptoms score, psychological status, physical conditions, and quality of life and reduced chemotherapy toxicity, but the expression levels of carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin-19 fragments, and neuron-specific enolase were not significantly different between the chemotherapy alone and the FRG + chemotherapy groups or between pre- and post-treatments. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that FRG extract had an adjuvant effect on advanced NSCLC patients treated with chemotherapy. Further studies with a larger sample size will verify the current findings.

Influence of fermented red ginseng extract in proliferation of rat glomerular mesangial cells and extracellular matrix degradation under high sugar stimulation / 吉林大学学报(医学版)

Objective:To explore the influence of fermented red ginseng extract (FRGE) in the proliferation of rat glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs) and the degradation of extracellular matrix(ECM)under high sugar stimulation, and to clarify the prevention and treatment effects of FRGE on diabetic nephropathy (DN) and the possible mechanism.Methods:The rat GMCs were cultured and divided into normal concentration of D-glucose (NG) group, high concentration of D-glucose (HG) group and high concentration of D-glucose plus different concentrations (3.75, 7.50, 15.00 mg·L-1) of FRGE groups. The proliferation rates of rat GMCs were detected with MTT,and the type Ⅳcollagen(Col Ⅳ) levels in supernatants of the GMCs were detected by ELISA. The protein expressions levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) were detected with Western blotting m ethod.Results:Compared with NG group, the proliferation rate of GMCs in HG group was increased(P<0.01), the Col Ⅳ level was increased(P<0.01),the MMP-2 expression level was decreased, and the TIMP-2 expression level was up-regulated(P<0.01).Compared with HG group, the proliferation rates of GMCs in various FRGE groups were decreased(P<0.01), the Col Ⅳ levels were decreased(P<0.01),the expression levels of TIMP-2 were reduced(P<0.01),and the expression levels of MMP-2 were increased(P<0.01).Conclusion:FRGE can inhibit the proliferation of rat GMCs induced by high sugar and promote the ECM degradation to delay the occurrence and development of DN.

Adjuvant effects of fermented red ginseng extract on advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with chemotherapy / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the adjuvant therapeutic effects of fermented red ginseng (FRG) extract on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with chemotherapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 60 patients with advanced NSCLC were divided into two groups using a random number table, i.e., the gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GP) chemotherapy alone group (26 patients) and the FRG + GP chemotherapy group (34 patients), for 60-day treatment. Patients were then assessed according to the Fatigue Symptom Inventory, Chinese medicine symptoms score, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Karnofsky Performance Status Scale, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung. In addition, chemotherapy toxicity and tumor biomarkers were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>For NSCLC patients after chemotherapy, FRG extract significantly improved the FSI score, CM symptoms score, psychological status, physical conditions, and quality of life and reduced chemotherapy toxicity, but the expression levels of carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin-19 fragments, and neuron-specific enolase were not significantly different between the chemotherapy alone and the FRG + chemotherapy groups or between pre- and post-treatments.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This study demonstrated that FRG extract had an adjuvant effect on advanced NSCLC patients treated with chemotherapy. Further studies with a larger sample size will verify the current findings.</p>