title: Effect of Amino Acids on the Generation of Ginsenoside Rg3 Epimers by Heat Processing and the Anticancer Activities of Epimers in A2780 Human Ovarian Cancer Cells.
abstract: Ginsenosides are the active components of Panax ginseng. Many research studies indicate that these deglycosylated, less-polar ginsenosides have better bioactivity than the major ginsenosides. In the present study, we sought to verify the enhanced anticancer effect of P. ginseng extract after undergoing the Maillard reaction as well as elucidate the underlying mechanism of action. The effects of 9 amino acids were tested; among them, the content of 20(S)-Rg3 in the ginseng extract increased to more than 30, 20, and 20% when processed with valine, arginine, and alanine, respectively, compared with that after normal heat processing. The ginseng extract that was heat-processed with arginine exhibited the most potent inhibitory effect on A2780 ovarian cancer cell proliferation. Therefore, the generation of 20(S)-Rg3 was suggested to be involved in this effect. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of 20(S)-Rg3 on A2780 cell proliferation was significantly stronger than that of 20(R)-Rg3. Protein expression levels of cleaved caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, and PARP in the A2780 ovarian cancer cells markedly increased, whereas the expression of BID decreased after 20(S)-Rg3 treatment. Therefore, we confirmed that the anticancer effects of the products of ginseng that was heat-processed with arginine are mediated mainly via the generation of the less-polar ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3.
authors.affiliation: College of Korean Medicine, Gachon University, Seongnam 461-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jun Yeon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: KIST Gangneung Institute of Natural Products, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Gangneung 210-340, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Pilju
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: College of Korean Medicine, Gachon University, Seongnam 461-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dahae
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: KIST Gangneung Institute of Natural Products, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Gangneung 210-340, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Taejung
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: College of Korean Medicine, Gachon University, Seongnam 461-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Bee
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: KIST Gangneung Institute of Natural Products, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Gangneung 210-340, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Buyng-Su
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: College of Korean Medicine, Gachon University, Seongnam 461-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ki Sung
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: KIST Gangneung Institute of Natural Products, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Gangneung 210-340, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jungyeob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ham