title: Studies on the preparation, crystal structure and bioactivity of ginsenoside compound K.
abstract: Microbial transformation of Panaxnotoginseng saponins (PNS) using Aspergillus niger afforded, as the main metabolite, ginsenoside compound K (20-O-beta-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol). Its structure was determined spectroscopically and by X-ray analysis, and this is the first time the crystal structure of ginsenoside has been reported. In comparison with ginsenoside Rb1, the pro-drug for this metabolite, compound K exhibits potent cytotoxic activity against tumor cell lines. The mean concentrations of compound K needed to inhibit the proliferation of cells by 50% (IC50) were 12.7, 11.4, 8.5 and 9.7 microM for mouse high-metastatic melanoma (B16-BL6), human hepatoma (HepG2), human myeloid leukemia (K562) and human high-metastatic lung carcinoma (95-D) cell lines, respectively. The data show that ginsenoside compound K is a good antitumor drug candidate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosynthetic Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, 138 YiXueYuan Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: M-Q
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: J-Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001711:Biotransformation; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D051379:Mice; D008958:Models, Molecular; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry*; D021281:Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; C022616:thiazolyl blue