title: Anti-inflammatory potential of total saponins derived from the roots ofPanax ginsengin lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages.
abstract: Ginseng, the root ofPanax ginsengC.A. Meyer (Araliaceae), is a widely known traditional medicine that has been utilized throughout Asia for several thousand years. Ginseng saponins exert various important pharmacological effects regarding the control of a number of diseases. The aim of the present study was to identify the anti-inflammatory effects of total saponins extracted from ginseng (TSG) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages. The inhibitory effects of TSG on LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production and LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) protein expression were determined by measuring the levels of nitrite and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of TSG on the mRNA expression levels and localizations of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), IL-1β and TNF-α, and their upstream signaling proteins, including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), were investigated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. Following stimulation with LPS, elevated levels of NO production were detected in RAW 264.7 cells; however, TSG pretreatment significantly inhibited the production of NO (P<0.05), by suppressing the expression of iNOS. In addition, LPS-stimulated TNF-α and IL-1β production was significantly reduced by TSG (P<0.05). In the LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, NF-κB was translocated from the cytosol to the nucleus, whilst TSG pretreatment induced the sequestration of NF-κB in the cytosol by inhibiting inhibitor of κB degradation. TSG also contributed to downregulation of MAPKs in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. These results suggested that TSG may exert anti-inflammatory activity, and that TSG may be considered a potential therapeutic for the treatment of inflammatory diseases associated with macrophage activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Dongeui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan 614-052, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung-Jun
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Dongeui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan 614-052, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Dongeui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan 614-052, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Gyeong Jin
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Dongeui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan 614-052, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Su Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: NamHaeGun Black Garlic Co., Ltd., Busan 614-853, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Dongeui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan 614-052, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Cheol-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Dongeui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan 614-052, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunobiology, Department of Marine Life Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju 690-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Gi-Young
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Anti-Aging Research Center and Blue-Bio Industry RIC, College of Natural Sciences and Human Ecology, Dongeui University, Busan 614-714, Republic of Korea; Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dongeui University, Busan 614-052, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Woo
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Dongeui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan 614-052, Republic of Korea; Anti-Aging Research Center and Blue-Bio Industry RIC, College of Natural Sciences and Human Ecology, Dongeui University, Busan 614-714, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yung Hyun
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Choi
keywords: anti-inflammation; ginseng; mitogen-activated protein kinases; nuclear factor-κB; total saponins