The anti-tumor effect of ginsenoside Rh4 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Zhiguang Duan; Bo Wei; Jianjun Deng; Yu Mi; Yangfang Dong; Chenhui Zhu; Rongzhan Fu; Linlin Qu; Daidi Fan

doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.03.174

The anti-tumor effect of ginsenoside Rh4 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2018 May 15;499(3):482-487. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.03.174. Epub 2018 Apr 1.

Authors

Zhiguang Duan¹, Bo Wei², Jianjun Deng³, Yu Mi³, Yangfang Dong³, Chenhui Zhu³, Rongzhan Fu³, Linlin Qu³, Daidi Fan⁴

Affiliations

¹ Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Degradable Biomedical Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, 229 North Taibai Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China; Shaanxi R&D Center of Biomaterials and Fermentation Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, 229 North Taibai Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Degradable Biomedical Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, 229 North Taibai Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China; Shaanxi R&D Center of Biomaterials and Fermentation Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, 229 North Taibai Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Degradable Biomedical Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, 229 North Taibai Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China; Shaanxi R&D Center of Biomaterials and Fermentation Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, 229 North Taibai Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China.
⁴ Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Degradable Biomedical Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, 229 North Taibai Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China; Shaanxi R&D Center of Biomaterials and Fermentation Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, 229 North Taibai Road, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 29596831
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.03.174

Abstract

Breast cancer is a tremendous threat to humans in many countries, and thus we need to find safe and effective drugs for treatment. Ginsenoside Rh4 has been reported to be present in processed ginseng. However, few studies have focused on its anti-tumor activity. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of ginsenoside Rh4 on MCF-7 breast cancer cells and the pathways that promote apoptosis in vitro. To study the effect of ginsenoside Rh4 in vivo, xenograft models were randomly divided into 3 groups (the control group, 10 mg/kg/d Rh4, 20 mg/kg/d Rh4, n = 10 per group), the ginsenoside Rh4 injection method was i.p. The results showed that ginsenoside Rh4 effectively inhibited proliferation, arrested the cell cycle in S phase and induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells by flow cytometry. Morphological changes caused by ginsenoside Rh4-induced apoptosis were also observed by Hoechst 33342 staining. Western-blot analyses indicated that the apoptosis-inducing effects of ginsenoside Rh4 were associated with the external pathway by decreasing Bcl-2, increasing Bax, and activating caspase-8, -3 and PARP. Moreover, ginsenoside Rh4 significantly inhibited the growth of MCF-7 tumor cells in vivo. These results suggested that ginsenoside Rh4 could be a potentially effective anti-tumor drug for breast cancer.

Keywords: Apoptosis; Breast cancer; Ginsenoside; MCF-7 cells; Xenograft model.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
Apoptosis / drug effects
Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / metabolism
Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
Cell Cycle / drug effects
Cell Proliferation / drug effects
Female
Ginsenosides / pharmacology*
Humans
MCF-7 Cells
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Mice, Nude

Substances

Antineoplastic Agents
Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins
Ginsenosides
ginsenoside Rh4