Ginsenoside Rk3 exhibits anticancer effects on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and can be a new promising therapeutic agent for lung cancer treatment, according to the paper titled “Anticancer effects of ginsenoside Rk3 on non-small cell lung cancer cells: in vitro and in vivo”.
The study, published in the journal Food and Function, was led by the researchers from School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University in China. The study was aimed to explore the anticancer effects of ginsenoside Rk3 on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and in an H460 xenograft tumor model.
In the experiments, the researchers targeted proteins cyclin D1、CDK4 and P21 to test the effects of ginsenoside Rk3 on non-small lung cancer cells. The results showed that ginsenoside Rk3 reduced cell viability, inhibited cell proliferation, and induced G1 phase cell cycle arrest.
Besides, ginsenoside Rk3 was found to have induced H460 cells apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, and significantly inhibited the growth of H460 xenograft tumors of the treated mice by altering the proliferation and morphology of tumor cells.
The findings suggest that ginsenoside Rk3, in addition to ginsenosides Rh2 and Rg3 which are most studied and used in anticancer practices, can be a promising therapeutic agent for lung cancer.
