title: Anti-apoptotic function and mechanism of ginseng saponins in Rattus pancreatic β-cells.
abstract: Apoptosis is the main form of β-cell death in diabetes. Ginseng has been used as an anti-diabetic herb for several thousand years in Asia with ginsenoside Rg1 and ginsenoside Rb1 as important active ingredients. In this study, we demonstrated ginsenoside Rg1 and Rb1 protect β-cells from high glucose/cytokine-induced pancreatic β-cell apoptosis via inhibiting nitric oxide (NO) production and regulating apoptosis-related genes. Among these genes, Bax, Fas and Caspase-3 gene expressions were up-regulated by high glucose, whereas only Bax and Caspase-3 gene expression were elevated by cytokines. In these two stimuli-induced apoptotic cells, Rg1 down-regulated Fas gene expression, while Rb1 decreased Caspase-3 gene expression. As a conclusion, Fas signal pathway and mitochondria stress is mostly related to anti-diabetes function of ginsenoside Rg1, while Caspase-3 pathway is essential when Rb1 is present.
authors.affiliation: Horticulture and Landscape College, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yuewen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xincong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Zhiguang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zhixu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dongbo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects*; D036145:Ginsenosides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000009:adverse effects; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; C491898:Fas protein, rat; D036145:Ginsenosides; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D019014:fas Receptor; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C442759:ginsenoside Rb1; D053148:Caspase 3; D005947:Glucose; C035054:ginsenoside Rg1