Long-term oral administration of ginseng extract decreases serum gamma-globulin and IgG1 isotype in mice

The Ginsenoside Rg1 Rescues Mitochondrial Disorders in Aristolochic Acid-Induced Nephropathic Mice

Chronic exposure to aristolochic acid (AA) leads to renal interstitial fibrosis and nephropathy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the renoprotective effects of Panax ginseng extract (GE) and ginsenoside saponin (GS) on AA-induced nephropathy (AAN) in mice. Eighty female C3H/He mice were randomly divided into eight groups, including normal; AA (3 μg/mL for 56 days); AA with GE (125, 250, or 500 mg/kg/d for 14 days); and AA with important GE ingredients, Rg₁, Rb₁, or Rd (5 mg/kg/d for 14 days). Compared with the AA group, renal injuries were significantly decreased in the GE (250 mg/kg/d), Rb₁, and Rg₁ treatment groups. Rg₁ exhibited the best renoprotection among all GS-treated groups. There were 24 peaks significantly altered among normal, AA, and AA + Rg₁ groups, and four mitochondrial proteins were identified, including acyl-CoA synthetase medium-chain family member 2, upregulated during skeletal muscle growth 5 (Usmg5), mitochondrial aconitase 2 (ACO2), and cytochrome c oxidase subunit Va preprotein (COX5a). We demonstrated for the first time that the AAN mechanism and renoprotective effects of Rg₁ are associated with expression of mitochondrial proteins, especially ACO2, Usmg5, and COX5a.

Evidence-Based Immunotherapeutic Effects of Herbal Compounds on Humoral Immunity: Ancient and New Approaches

The human immune system represents a dynamic multiscale system with high complexity in biology. Humoral immunity, as the main branch of adaptive immunity, is characterized by differentiated stages of the B lymphocytes, producing the final product of antibodies that has a diversity of the tuning mechanisms within genetic and epigenetic levels in confrontation with environmental exposures. Disorders because of disturbed humoral immunity are linked with dysregulation of feedback-regulated signaling and the dynamic of immune components that determine the overall response. Food products, mainly herbal components have a significant role in tailoring the immune system micro-ecosystem which can diversify the adaptive nature of humoral immunity. Herein, we review the current evidence-based approaches for the impact of medicinal herbs on humoral immunity signaling and antibody production with a focus on immunotherapeutic applications.

Short-term oral administration of ginseng extract induces type-1 cytokine production

Ginseng radix (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) is a popular herbal medicine used as a major ingredient in tonic recipes in eastern Asian countries. In our study, male BALB/c mice were treated orally with various doses of ginseng root extract for 5 consecutive days. The extract reduced the serum level of IgG but elevated the level of IgA. Under in vitro condition, the lipopolysaccharide-stimulated spleen cells from the ginseng-treated mice also showed a significant decrease in IgG production but an increase in IgA production. The serum level and production of IgM was unaffected. The interleukin-2, interferon-gamma (Th1-type cytokines), and interleukin-10 (Tr1-type cytokine) production by Con A-stimulated spleen cells from the ginseng-treated mice showed an upregulation relative to the control group. However, the production of interleukin-4 (Th2-type cytokine) showed no significant change. The activity of natural killer cells was increased in the ginseng group, but the percentages of T-lymphocytes (CD3(+)) and CD4(+)8(-), CD4(-)8(+) subset were reduced. Thus, short-term oral administration of ginseng extract appears to enhance Th1-type cytokine production.

Long-term oral administration of ginseng extract modulates humoral immune response and spleen cell functions

Ginseng radix (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) is a popular herbal medicine in Oriental countries. We investigated the effect of long-term oral administration of ginseng extract on the antigen-specific antibody response. Male BALB/c mice were treated orally for 30 consecutive days with 2 g/kg of a 50% ethanol extract of ginseng root. Mice treated with ginseng and immunized with ovalbumin (OVA), resulting in an eight-fold increase in titers of anti-OVA immunoglobulin (Ig)G in the serum compared to the group receiving OVA immunization without ginseng treatment; the level of IgG was also significantly elevated in the mice treated with ginseng and immunized with OVA. Mice treated with ginseng without OVA immunization exhibited significantly reduced IgG and IgA production by spleen cells. However, IgG production was not affected in mice treated with ginseng and OVA immunization in spleen cells. Interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (IFN)-gamma and IL-4 secretion by spleen cells from either ginseng-treated mice or OVA-immunized mice were down-regulated compared to that in the control group; while the production of IL-10 was unchanged. The percentage of CD8+ cells was significantly reduced in spleen cells from ginseng-treated, OVA-immunized mice. Thus, long-term oral administration of ginseng extract appears to potentiate humoral immune response but suppress spleen cell functions.

Protective effect of ginseng extract against apoptotic cell death induced by 2,2',5,5'-tetrachlorobiphenyl in neuronal SK-N-MC cells

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathological processes of neurodegenerative diseases. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants, some of which may be neurotoxic. 2,2',5,5'-Tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB 52) induces apoptotic death in human neuronal SK-N-MC cells, as demonstrated by gel electrophoresis, which demonstrates the proteolytic cleavage of beta-catenin and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and the characteristic ladder patterns of DNA fragmentation. In the present study, we investigated whether Panax ginseng extract protect human neuronal SK-N-MC cells from PCB 52-induced apoptosis. The addition of 500 microg/ml of ginseng extract to a culture medium significantly protected neuronal cell from the apoptosis mediated by PCB 52 and remarkably attenuated lipid peroxidation, the generation of reactive oxygen species, and DNA fragmentation, and markedly reduced the PCB 52 induced proteolytic cleavage of beta-catenin and PARP. These results show that Panax ginseng extract protects human neuronal SK-N-MC cells from the apoptosis induced by PCB 52. We suggest that Panax ginseng extracts may protect neuronal cells from oxidative injury.

Intraperitoneal injection of ginseng extract enhances both immunoglobulin and cytokine production in mice

Ginseng is one of the most widely used Chinese herbal medicines. In this report, the relatively short-term effect of ginseng extract on the immunoglobulin production and cytokine production was studied. The ginseng extract was prepared by boiling the ground ginseng root in 50% ethanol. The specific pathogen-free mice were intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with various doses of ginseng extract for 3 consecutive days. The results indicated that the serum levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)M, IgG and IgA were significantly elevated after the mice were i.p. injected with 4 g/kg/day of ginseng extract. Under in vitro condition, the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated spleen cells showed a dose-dependent increase in secretion of IgM, IgG and IgA. However, at a higher dosage (4 g/kg/day), the amount of IgA secretion began to decline. The serum level of interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (IFN)-gamma[T-helper (Th) 1-type cytokines] and IL-4 and IL-10 (Th2-type cytokines) were significantly elevated after the mice were i.p. injected with 2 g/kg/day or higher doses of ginseng extract. The amount of cytokine secretion by concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated spleen cells was also significantly enhanced after the mice were i.p. injected with 0.4 g/kg/day or higher dose of ginseng extracted. To further confirm the results from enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the spleen cells were cultured for 36 hours in the presence of 1 microgram/ml of Con A. Total mRNA was isolated and assayed for mRNA expression using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results revealed that expression of IL-2 and IFN-gamma mRNA were dose-dependently enhanced by the ethanol extract of ginseng. The levels of IL-4 and IL-10 mRNA expression were also elevated in the spleen cells of ginseng-treated mice in comparison with that of the control group. In addition, we observed that the concentrations of IgG1, IgG2a and IgG2b in culture supernatants of spleen cells were dose-dependently increased by in vivo treatment of ginseng extract, suggesting that both Th1- and Th2-type cytokines were involved in IgG production. Our observation in this study demonstrated that the Chinese herbal drug ginseng was able to regulate antibody production by augmenting Th1- (IL-2, IFN-gamma) and Th2-type (IL-4, IL-10) cytokine production.

Antioxidant properties of a North American ginseng extract

A North American ginseng extract (NAGE) containing known principle ginsenosides for Panax quinquefolius was assayed for metal chelation, affinity to scavenge DPPH-stable free radical, and peroxyl (LOO*) and hydroxyl (*OH) free radicals for the purpose of characterizing mechanisms of antioxidant activity. Dissociation constants (Kd) for NAGE to bind transition metals were in the order of Fe2+ > Cu2+ > Fe3+ and corresponded to the affinity to inhibit metal induced lipid peroxidation. In a metal-free linoleic acid emulsion, NAGE exhibited a significant (p < or = 0.05) concentration (0.01-10 mg/mL) dependent mitigation of lipid oxidation as assessed by the ammonium thiocyanate method. Similar results were obtained when NAGE was incubated in a methyl linoleate emulsion containing haemoglobin catalyst and assessed by an oxygen electrode. NAGE also showed strong DPPH radical scavenging activity up to a concentration of 1.6 mg/mL (r2 = 0.996). Similar results were obtained for scavenging of both site-specific and non site-specific *OH, using the deoxyribose assay method. Moreover, NAGE effectively inhibited the non site-specific DNA strand breakage caused by Fenton agents, and suppressed the Fenton induced oxidation of a 66 Kd soluble protein obtained from mouse brain over a concentration range of 2-40 mg/mL. These results indicate that NAGE exhibits effective antioxidant activity in both lipid and aqueous mediums by both chelation of metal ions and scavenging of free radicals.