Korean Red Ginseng Extract Increases Apoptosis by Activation of the Noxa Pathway in Colorectal Cancer.

Yoon A Jeong,Sun Il Lee,Dae Young Kim,Soyeon Jeong,Yoo Jin Na,Sang Cheul Oh,Hye Kyeong Yun,Bo Ram Kim,Dae-Hee Lee,Jung Lim Kim,Seong Hye Park,Min Jee Jo,Byung-Cheol Han,Bu Gyeom Kim

doi:10.3390/nu11092026

Yoon A Jeong, Sun Il Lee + Show 12 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092026

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Abstract

Background: Although the anticancer activity of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) has been known in various cancers, the mechanism of KRG-induced apoptosis is unknown in colorectal cancer (CRC). In our study, we examined whether KRG induces apoptosis in CRC cells. Methods: In the cell viability assay, the concentration of the appropriate KRG extracts was fixed at 2.5 mg/mL in numerous CRC cells. This fixed concentration was in other experiments, and it was confirmed that the KRG extracts induce apoptosis in CRC cells. Results: We found that KRG induced Noxa activation and apoptosis and increased endoplasmic reticulum stress via reactive oxygen species production. This indicated that KRG efficiently enhanced cell death in CRC cells. Conclusion: Our results show that KRG can be used as a possible anticancer drug for patients with CRC

Highlights

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most commonly occurring cancer worldwide [1]
We observed the morphology of HT29 and DLD-1 cells treated with Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) extract by light microscopy
We found that cells treated with KRG extract showed significantly higher expression of Noxa than control cells (Figure 2C)

Summary

Introduction

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most commonly occurring cancer worldwide [1]. Treatment options for CRC usually include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) is a traditional herbal medicine that has been used to treat various diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, anti-inflammatory diseases, and diabetes [5,6,7]. The anticancer activity of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) has been known in various cancers, the mechanism of KRG-induced apoptosis is unknown in colorectal cancer (CRC). Results: We found that KRG induced Noxa activation and apoptosis and increased endoplasmic reticulum stress via reactive oxygen species production. This indicated that KRG efficiently enhanced cell death in CRC cells.

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