Ginseng saponin metabolite suppresses phorbol ester-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression through inhibition of activator protein-1 and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways in human astroglioma cells

Soo Hyun Jung, Moon Sook Woo, So Young Kim, Won Ki Kim, Jin Won Hyun, Eun Jin Kim, Dong Hyun Kim, Hee Sun Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

94 Scopus citations

Abstract

Aberrant expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is implicated in the process of invasion and angiogenesis of malignant tumors as well as in inflammatory diseases of the CNS. Therefore, the development of compounds that can inhibit or suppress MMP-9 is required to treat brain tumors. We investigated the effects of a ginseng saponin metabolite, compound K (20-O-(β-D- glucopyranosyl)-20(S)-protopanaxadiol), on MMP-9 expression in human astroglioma cells. Compound K significantly inhibited the secretion and protein expression of MMP-9 induced by PMA. The inhibitory effect of compound K on MMP-9 expression correlated with decreased MMP-9 mRNA levels and suppression of MMP-9 promoter activity. The compound K-mediated inhibition of MMP-9 gene expression appears to occur via AP-1 because its DNA-binding and transcriptional activities were suppressed by the agent. Furthermore, compound K significantly repressed the PMA-mediated activation of p38 MAPK, ERK and JNK, which are upstream modulators of AP-1. Finally, compound K inhibited the in vitro invasiveness of glioma cells. Therefore, inhibition of MMP-9 expression by compound K might have therapeutic potential for controlling the growth and invasiveness of brain tumors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)490-497
Number of pages8
JournalInternational Journal of Cancer
Volume118
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Jan 2006

Keywords

  • Activator protein-1
  • Astroglioma
  • Compound K
  • Matrix metalloproteinase-9
  • Mitogen-activated protein kinase

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