sapogenins and Neoplasms

Asian ginseng, American ginseng, and notoginseng are three major species in the ginseng family. Notoginseng is a Chinese herbal medicine with a long history of use in many Oriental countries. This botanical has a distinct ginsenoside profile compared to other ginseng herbs. As a saponin-rich plant, notoginseng could be a good candidate for cancer chemoprevention. However, to date, only relatively limited anticancer studies have been conducted on notoginseng. In this paper, after reviewing its anticancer data, phytochemical isolation and analysis of notoginseng is presented in comparison with Asian ginseng and American ginseng. Over 80 dammarane saponins have been isolated and elucidated from different plant parts of notoginseng, most of them belonging to protopanaxadiol or protopanaxatriol groups. The role of the enteric microbiome in mediating notoginseng metabolism, bioavailability, and pharmacological actions are discussed. Emphasis has been placed on the identification and isolation of enteric microbiome-generated notoginseng metabolites. Future investigations should provide key insights into notoginseng's bioactive metabolites as clinically valuable anticancer compounds.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Biological Availability; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Ginsenosides; Humans; Molecular Conformation; Neoplasms; Panax notoginseng; Phytotherapy; Sapogenins; Saponins

More than 25 dammarane-type tetracyclic triterpenoid saponins have been isolated from ginseng, the root and rhizome of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (Araliaceae). The genuine sapogenins of those saponins, 20(S)-protopanaxa-diol and -triol, were identified as 20(S) 12beta-hydroxy-and 20(S) 6alpha,12beta-dihydroxy-dammarenediol-II, respectively. There are two types of preparations from ginseng: white ginseng prepared by drying after peelling off and red ginseng prepared by steaming and drying. Some partly deglycosylated saponins such as ginsenoside Rh-1, Rh-2, and Rg-3 are obtained from red ginseng as artifacts produced during steaming. Several workers studied the metabolic transformation by human intestinal bacteria after oral administration of ginsenoside Rb-1 and Rb-2 and found that the stepwise deglyco-sylation yielded compound K and finally 20(S)-protopanaxadiol. Ginsenoside Rg-1 was converted into 20(S)-protopanaxatriol via ginsenoside Rh-1. Yun et al. in Korea conducted the epidemiological case-control studies of ginseng and suggested its cancer preventing activities. Kitagawa et al. demonstrated in vitro that ginsenosides, especially 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg-3, specifically inhibited cancer cell invasion and metastasis. Azuma et al. found that ginsenoside Rb-2 inhibited tumor angiogenesis, and Kikuchi et al. reported that ginsenoside Rh-2 inhibited the human ovarian cancer growth in nude mice. Recently, ginsenoside Rg-3 was produced as an anti-angiogenic anti-cancer drug in China. The aforementioned reports suggest that less glycosylated protopanaxadiol derivatives are effective in cancer prevention. Apart from Ginseng tetracyclic triterpenoid saponins, some oleanane-type pentacyclic triterpenoid compounds showed the anti-carcinogenic activity in the two-stage anti-cancer-promotion experiments in vitro and in vivo.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Humans; Molecular Structure; Neoplasms; Panax; Sapogenins; Saponins; Triterpenes

The discovery of novel chemotherapeutics that act through different mechanisms is critical for dealing with tumor heterogeneity and therapeutic resistance. We previously reported a saponin analog (AG-08) that induces non-canonical necrotic cell death and is auspicious for cancer therapy. Here, we describe that the key element in triggering this unique cell death mechanism of AG-08 is its ability to form supramolecular particles. These self-assembled particles are internalized via a different endocytosis pathway than those previously described. Microarray analysis suggested that AG-08 supramolecular structures affect several cell signaling pathways, including unfolded protein response, immune response, and oxidative stress. Finally, through investigation of its 18 analogs, we further determined the structural features required for the formation of particulate structures and the stimulation of the unprecedented cell death mechanism of AG-08. The unique results of AG-08 indicated that supramolecular assemblies of small molecules are promising for the field of anticancer drug development, although they have widely been accepted as nuisance in drug discovery studies.

Topics: Cell Death; Humans; Neoplasms; Sapogenins; Unfolded Protein Response

Topics: Androgens; Androstenes; Chromatography, Liquid; Glucuronides; Glucuronosyltransferase; Humans; Liver; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Microsomes, Liver; Neoplasms; Sapogenins; Steroids; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

In cancer cells, failure of chemotherapy is often caused by the ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1), and few drugs have been successfully developed to overcome ABCB1-mediated multi-drug resistance (MDR). To suppress ABCB1 activity, we previously designed and synthesized a new series of derivatives based on 20(S)-protopanoxadiol (PPD). In the present study, we investigated the role of PPD derivatives in the function of ABC transporters. Non-toxic concentrations of the PPD derivative PPD12 sensitized ABCB1-overexpressing cells to their anti-cancer substrates better than either the parental PPD or inactive PPD11. PPD12 increased intracellular accumulation of adriamycin and rhodamine123 in resistant cancer cells. Although PPD12 did not suppress the expression of ABCB1 mRNA or protein, it stimulated the activity of ABCB1 ATPase. Because PPD12 is a competitive inhibitor, it was predicted to bind to the large hydrophobic cavity of homology-modeled human ABCB1. PPD12 also enhanced the efficacy of adriamycin against ABCB1-overexpressing KB/VCR xenografts in nude mice. In conclusion, PPD12 enhances the efficacy of substrate drugs in ABCB1-overexpressing cancer cells. These findings suggest that a combination therapy consisting of PPD12 with conventional chemotherapeutic agents may be an effective treatment for ABCB1-mediated MDR cancer patients.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B; Cell Line, Tumor; Doxorubicin; Drug Resistance, Multiple; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Drug Synergism; HEK293 Cells; HL-60 Cells; Humans; Male; MCF-7 Cells; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Neoplasms; Rhodamines; Sapogenins; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Plant-derived active constituents and their semi-synthetic or synthetic analogs have served as major sources of anticancer drugs. 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) is a metabolite of ginseng saponin of both American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) and Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer). We previously demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg3, a glucoside precursor of PPD, exhibits anti-proliferative effects on HCT116 cells and reduces tumor size in a xenograft model. Our subsequent study indicated that PPD has more potent antitumor activity than that of Rg3 in vitro although the mechanism underlying the anticancer activity of PPD remains to be defined. Here, we investigated the mechanism underlying the anticancer activity of PPD in human cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. PPD was shown to inhibit growth and induce cell cycle arrest in HCT116 cells. The in vivo studies indicate that PPD inhibits xenograft tumor growth in athymic nude mice bearing HCT116 cells. The xenograft tumor size was significantly reduced when the animals were treated with PPD (30 mg/kg body weight) for 3 weeks. When the expression of previously identified Rg3 targets, A kinase (PRKA) anchor protein 8 (AKAP8L) and phosphatidylinositol transfer protein α (PITPNA), was analyzed, PPD was shown to inhibit the expression of PITPNA while upregulating AKAP8L expression in HCT116 cells. Pathway-specific reporter assays indicated that PPD effectively suppressed the NF-κB, JNK and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways. Taken together, our results suggest that the anticancer activity of PPD in colon cancer cells may be mediated through targeting NF-κB, JNK and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways, although the detailed mechanisms underlying the anticancer mode of PPD action need to be fully elucidated.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Cell Cycle Checkpoints; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; DNA-Binding Proteins; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; HEK293 Cells; Heterografts; Humans; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Mice; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Transplantation; Neoplasms; NF-kappa B; Nuclear Proteins; Panax; Phospholipid Transfer Proteins; Plant Extracts; Sapogenins; Signal Transduction

Novel 20(S)-protopanoxadiol (PPD) analogues were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for the chemosensitizing activity against a multidrug resistant (MDR) cell line (KBvcr) overexpressing P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Structure-activity relationship analysis showed that aromatic substituted aliphatic amine at the 24-positions (groups V) effectively and significantly sensitized P-gp overexpressing multidrug resistant (MDR) cells to anticancer drugs, such as docetaxel (DOC), vincristine (VCR), and adriamycin (ADM). PPD derivatives 12 and 18 showed 1.3-2.6 times more effective reversal ability than verapamil (VER) for DOC and VCR. Importantly, no cytotoxicity was observed by the active PPD analogues (5μM) against both non-MDR and MDR cells, suggesting that PPD analogues serve as novel lead compounds toward a potent and safe resistance modulator. Moreover, a preliminary mechanism study demonstrated that the chemosensitizing activity of PPD analogues results from inhibition of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) overexpressed in MDR cancer cells.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1; Cell Line, Tumor; Docetaxel; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Doxorubicin; Drug Design; Drug Resistance, Multiple; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Humans; Neoplasms; Sapogenins; Taxoids; Verapamil

Some of ginsenosides, root extracts from Panax ginseng, exert cytotoxicity against cancer cells through disruption of membrane subdomains called lipid rafts. Protopanaxadiol (PPD) exhibits the highest cytotoxic effect among 8 ginsenosides which we evaluated for anti-cancer activity. We investigated if PPD disrupts lipid rafts in its cytotoxic effects and also the possible mechanisms.. Eight ginsenosides were evaluated using different cancer cells and cell viability assays. The potent ginsenoside, PPD was investigated for its roles in lipid raft disruption and downstream pathways to apoptosis of cancer cells. Anti-cancer effects of PPD was also investigated in vivo using mouse xenograft model.. PPD consistently exerts its potent cytotoxicity in 2 cell survival assays using 5 different cancer cell lines. PPD disrupts lipid rafts in different ways from methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) depleting cholesterol out of the subdomains, since lipid raft proteins were differentially modulated by the saponin. During disruption of lipid rafts, PPD activated neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase 2) hydrolyzing membrane sphingomyelins into pro-apoptotic intracellular ceramides. Furthermore, PPD demonstrated its anti-cancer activities against K562 tumor cells in mouse xenograft model, confirming its potential as an adjunct or chemotherapeutic agent by itself in vivo.. This study demonstrates that neutral sphingomyelinase 2 is responsible for the cytotoxicity of PPD through production of apoptotic ceramides from membrane sphingomyelins. Thus neutral sphingomyelinase 2 and its relevant mechanisms may potentially be employed in cancer chemotherapies.

Topics: Animals; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Membrane; Cytotoxins; Female; Ginsenosides; Humans; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Neoplasms; Panax; Sapogenins; Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase

The biotransformation of 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (1) by Aspergillus niger AS 3.1858 was conducted. Seven metabolites 26-hydroxyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (2); 23, 24-en-25-hydroxyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (3); 25, 26-en-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (4); (E)-20, 22-en-25-hydroxyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (5); 25, 26-en-24(R)-hydroxyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (6); 25, 26-en-24(S)-hydroxyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (7); and 23, 24-en-25-ethoxyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (8) were afforded. Among them, 6, 7, and 8 are new compounds. The chemical structures of these metabolites were elucidated based on extensive spectral data including 2D NMR and HRMS. In addition, the cytotoxicity of substrate and all transformed products was evaluated by MTT assay using a panel of seven human tumor cell lines (Du-145, Hela, K562, K562/ADR, SH-SY5Y, HepG2, and MCF-7 cells) and one normal cell line Vero.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Aspergillus niger; Biological Products; Biotransformation; Chlorocebus aethiops; HeLa Cells; Hep G2 Cells; Humans; MCF-7 Cells; Molecular Structure; Neoplasms; Panax; Phytotherapy; Sapogenins; Vero Cells