title: Hepatoprotective effect of majonoside R2, the major saponin from Vietnamese ginseng (Panax vietnamensis).
abstract: The hepatoprotective effect of majonoside R 2 (MR2), the major saponin constituent from Vietnamese ginseng ( Panax vietnamensis, Araliaceae), was evaluated in vivo on D-galactosamine ( D-GalN)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced hepatic apoptosis and subsequent liver failure in mice. Pretreatment of mice with MR2 (50 or 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) at 12 and 1 h before D-GalN/LPS injection significantly inhibited apoptosis and suppressed following hepatic necrosis. Importantly, the elevation of serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) level, an important mediator for apoptosis in this model, was significantly inhibited by MR2 at a dose of 50 mg/kg. On the other hand, MR2 was found to protect primary cultured mouse hepatocytes from cell death by inhibiting apoptosis induced by D-GalN/TNF-alpha in vitro, as evidenced by DNA fragmentation analysis. These findings suggested that MR2 may have protected the hepatocytes from apoptosis via an inhibition of TNF-alpha production by activated macrophages and a direct inhibition of apoptosis induced by TNF-alpha.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan.
authors.forename: Quan Le
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: I Ketut
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Adnyana
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tezuka
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Harimaya
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Saiki
authors.forename: Youichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurashige
authors.forename: Qui Kim
authors.initials: QK
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: Shigetoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kadota
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D005688:Galactosamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D036145:Ginsenosides; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D005894:Panax; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D012503:Saponins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D014744:Vietnam
chemical_list: D036145:Ginsenosides; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012503:Saponins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D005688:Galactosamine; C098043:majonoside R2