Ginsenoside Rh2

Ginsenoside Rh2 (20(S)-Ginsenoside Rh2) induces the activation of caspase-8 and caspase-9. Ginsenoside Rh2 induces cancer cell apoptosis in a multi-path manner. IC50 & Target:Caspase-8 and Caspase-9^[1]
Apoptosis^[1] In Vitro:Ginsenoside Rh2 induces the activation of two initiator caspases, caspase-8 and caspase-9 in human cancer cells. Ginsenoside Rh2 induces cancer cell apoptosis in a multi-path manner and is therefore a promising candidate for anti-tumor drug development. Ginsenoside Rh2 triggers p53-dependent Fas expression and consequent activation of caspase-8 and p53-independent caspase-9-mediated intrinsic pathway to cause cancer cell death.The cytotoxic activity of Ginsenoside Rh2 in the human tumor cell lines HeLa, SK-HEP-1, SW480, and PC-3 is assessed by MTT. The cell viability of HeLa cells is remarkably inhibited by Ginsenoside Rh2, with an IC₅₀ value of 2.52 μg/mL, whereas SK-HEP-1 and SW480 cells are less sensitive to Ginsenoside Rh2, with IC₅₀ values of 3.15 μg/mL and 4.06 μg/mL, respectively. PC-3 cells are the least vulnerable to Ginsenoside Rh2, with an IC₅₀ value of 7.85 μg/mL, 3-fold higher than HeLa cells^[1]. In Vivo:A total of 15 days following B16-F10 cell injection, tumor sizes from the 3 tumor bearing groups are measured. The tumor sizes in the G-L group and G-H group (G-L and G-H refer to a low or high dose of Ginsenoside Rh2 injection) are reduced compared with the tumor group. The survival analysis reveals that the Ginsenoside Rh2 treated groups survive longer than the untreated tumor group and the effect is dose-dependent^[2].