title: Recent advances in ginseng as cancer therapeutics: a functional and mechanistic overview.
abstract: Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Ginseng, a key ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, shows great promise as a new treatment option. As listed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health as a complementary and alternative medicine, its anti-cancer functions are being increasingly recognized. This review covers the mechanisms of action of ginsenosides and their metabolites, which can modulate signaling pathways associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, angiogenesis, metastasis, and stem/progenitor-like properties of cancer cells. The emerging use of structurally modified ginsenosides and recent clinical studies on the use of ginseng either alone or in combination with other herbs or Western medicines which are exploited as novel therapeutic strategies will also be explored.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. awong1@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Alice S T
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Chi-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Che
authors.forename: Kar-Wah
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Leung
mesh_terms: D036145:Ginsenosides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D036145:Ginsenosides