Asian ginseng enhances the anti-proliferative effect of 5-FU

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Asian ginseng enhances the anti-proliferative effect of 5-FU

Fishbein AB, Wang CZ, Li XL, et al. Asian ginseng enhances the anti-proliferative effect of 5-fluorouracil on human colorectal cancer: Comparison between white and red ginseng. Arch Pharm Res 2009 Apr;32(4):505-513.

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Arch Pharm Res. 2009 Apr;32(4):505-13. Epub 2009 Apr 29.

Asian ginseng enhances the anti-proliferative effect of 5-fluorouracil on human colorectal cancer: Comparison between white and red ginseng.

Fishbein AB, Wang CZ, Li XL, Mehendale SR, Sun S, Aung HH, Yuan CS.

Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.

Previous studies showed that Asian ginseng, Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, may have anti-cancer properties. However, there is limited data exploring the use of Asian ginseng as an adjuvant to chemotherapy, and minimal mechanistic studies related to their possible synergistic activities. In this study, the content of 8 ginsenosides, Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc, Rd, Re, Rg1 and Rg3, in the extracts of white ginseng (WG) and red ginseng (RG) were determined by HPLC. Using HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cells, we compared the efficacy of WG and RG. We evaluated the synergy between ginseng and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and explored the mechanism of their anti-proliferative effects. As single extract, WG or RG used at concentrations of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mg/mL, inhibited HCT-116 cell proliferation in a concentration-related manner. WG at 0.2 mg/mL did not show obvious synergy with 5-FU co-treatment, while RG at 0.2 and 0.3 mg/mL significantly enhanced the anti-proliferative effects of 5-FU at concentrations of 10, 50 and 100 muM (P

PMID: 19407967