title: Ginsenoside Rg1, a major active component isolated from Panax notoginseng, restrains tubular epithelial to myofibroblast transition in vitro.
abstract: The medicinal herb, Panax notoginseng, has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine and possesses anti-fibrosis properties. Epithelial-myofibroblast transition (EMT) plays an important role in renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis. The present study was designed to examine whether ginsenoside Rg1, a major active component isolated from Panax notoginseng, has an ability to block this phenotypic transition in rat renal tubular epithelial cells (NRK-52E) induced by transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1). The morphology of tubular epithelial-myofibroblast transition was observed through light microscope and transmission electron microscopy. alpha-SMA and E-cadherin are two markers of tubular epithelial-myofibroblast transition, their protein expressions were assessed by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Gene expression of alpha-SMA as well as the two major extracellular matrix components collagen I and fibronectin was measured by real-time PCR analysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantitatively detect collagen I and fibronectin in the supernatant. Our results revealed that ginsenoside Rg1 obviously blocked morphologic transformation in NRK-52E induced by TGF-beta1. Meanwhile, ginsenoside Rg1 inhibited the expression of alpha-SMA and the loss of E-cadherin, subsequently decreased the levels of collagen I and fibronectin in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, western blot analysis indicated that ginsenoside Rg1 inhibited the expression of P-ERK1/2 in NRK-52E induced by TGF-beta1. These results suggest that ginsenoside Rg1 can restrain the process of EMT maybe via suppressing the expression of P-ERK1/2 in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37, Guoxuexiang, Wuhou, Chengdu 610041, China.
authors.forename: Xi-Sheng
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Man
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Heng-Chuan
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Hui-Juan
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun-Ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000378:metabolism; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects*; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000378:metabolism; D005355:Fibrosis; D036145:Ginsenosides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000166:cytology*; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D053723:Panax notoginseng / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018517:Plant Roots; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D015820:Cadherins; D024042:Collagen Type I; D005353:Fibronectins; D036145:Ginsenosides; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; C498862:Acta2 protein, rat; C035054:ginsenoside Rg1