Ginseng saponin metabolite induces apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells through the modulation of AMP-activated protein kinase

  • Areum Daseul Kim
  • , Kyoung Ah Kang
  • , Rui Zhang
  • , Chae Moon Lim
  • , Hee Sun Kim
  • , Dong Hyun Kim
  • , You Jin Jeon
  • , Chang Hyun Lee
  • , Jinny Park
  • , Weon Young Chang
  • , Jin Won Hyun

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

50 Scopus citations

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that the ginseng saponin metabolite, Compound K (20-O-d-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol, IH901), suppresses proliferation of various cancers and induces apoptosis. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a sensor of cellular energy states and is involved in apoptosis of cancer cells. We hypothesized that Compound K may exert cytotoxicity in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells through modulation of AMPK, followed by a decrease in cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. Compound K inhibited cell growth, induced apoptosis via generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as decreasing COX-2 expression and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels. These effects of Compound K were induced via an AMPK-dependent pathway and were abrogated by a specific AMPK inhibitor. These results suggest that Compound K induced apoptosis by modulating AMPK-COX-2 signaling in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)134-140
Number of pages7
JournalEnvironmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
Volume30
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2010

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by a research grant from Jeju National University Hospital.

Keywords

  • AMP-activated protein kinase
  • Apoptosis
  • Compound K
  • MCF-7
  • Reactive oxygen species

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