Research: ZHANG and colleagues,

Listed in Issue 73

Abstract

ZHANG and colleagues, Division of Natural Products Chemistry, Shen Yang Pharmaceutical University, China, zywlcell@yahoo.com, examined the effects of 27 ginsenosides isolated from Panax ginseng on gap junction-mediated intercellular communication (GJIC) .

Background

Gap junctions may be involved in the pathogenesis of many inherited and acquired human diseases . Agents that regulate the GJIC function may facilitate prevention and treatment of GJIC-involved diseases.

Methodology

The isolated ginsenosides examined were as follows: oleanolic acid (compound (C) 1), ginsenoside-R0 (G-R0; C2), G-Rb1 (C3), G-Rc (C4), G-Rb2 (C5), G-Rb3 (C6), G-Rd (C7), G-Rg3 (C8), G-Rd2 (C9), notoginsenoside-Fe (C10), G-Rh2 (C11), panaxadial (C12), notoginsenoside-R4 (C13), G-Ra1 (C14), G-Re (C15), G-Rg2 (20R) (C16), G-Rg2 (20S) (C17), G-Rf (C18), G-Ia (C19), G-Rh1 (20S) (C20), G-Rh1 (20R) (C21), G-F1 (C22), protopanaxatriol (C23), panaxatriol (C24), G-Rg1 (C25), G-F3 (C26) and chikusetsaponin-L8 (C27).

Results

The following compounds did not obviously affect GJIC: C1, C2, C3, C5, C7, C8, C12, C13, C17, C18 and C26. The following compounds induced various degrees of GJIC reductions: C4, C6, C9, C10, C11, C14, C15, C16, C19, C20, C21, C22, C23, C24, C25 and C27. C2, C7 and C8 protected against the vanadate -induced GJIC reduction (vanadate is a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor ). C1, C5, C7 and C17 inhibited the GJIC reduction induced by the cytokine interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1alpha) . No compounds protected against the GJIC inhibition induced by the protein kinase C (PKC) activator 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA ). The tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitor genistein inhibited the GJIC reductions induced by C6, C9, C10, C20, C21, C22, C24 and C25. The PKC inhibitor calphostin C attenuated the GJIC reductions induced by C6, C9, C14, C16, C19, C21 and C24. Neither genistein nor calphostin C inhibited the GJIC reductions induced by C4, C23 and C27.

Conclusion

The results indicate that a variety of mechanisms are responsible for the effects of ginsenosides on GJIC .

References

Zhang YW et al. Effects of ginsenosides from Panax ginseng on cell-to-cell communication function mediated by gap junctions. Planta Medica 67 (5): 417-22. Jul 2001.

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