Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 4, 2026
Establishment of Hepatocarcinoma in BALB/c-nu Mice and Investigation of the Therapeutic Effect of the Sanleng Jiashen Formula
Published on: January 26, 2024
Ginsenoside Rh2 Mitigates Pediatric Leukemia Through Suppression of Bcl-2 in Leukemia Cells
Insights
Ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) shows promise in treating pediatric leukemia by inducing cancer cell death. This natural compound may offer a new therapeutic avenue for this challenging disease.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Pediatric leukemia presents significant therapeutic challenges due to limited donor sources for bone marrow transplantation.
- Ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2), a component of red ginseng, has demonstrated therapeutic effects in various diseases.
- The therapeutic potential of GRh2 in pediatric leukemia has not been previously investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of Ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) as a potential treatment for pediatric leukemia.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying GRh2's effects on leukemia cells.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated GRh2's impact on survival in a pediatric leukemia mouse model.
- Assessed GRh2's effects on leukemia cell viability and apoptosis in vitro using CCK-8, MTT assays, and flow cytometry.
- Quantified Bcl-2 and microRNA-21 (miR-21) levels and confirmed the interaction between miR-21 and Bcl-2 mRNA.
Main Results:
- GRh2 significantly improved survival rates in mice with pediatric leukemia.
- In vitro studies showed GRh2 reduced leukemia cell viability by inducing apoptosis.
- GRh2 decreased anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 levels, potentially via miR-21-mediated suppression of Bcl-2 mRNA translation.
Conclusions:
- Ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) demonstrates potential as an effective treatment for pediatric leukemia.
- GRh2 induces leukemia cell apoptosis through the miR-21 pathway, suppressing Bcl-2 expression.
Background/Aims:
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a severe malignant cancer worldwide, in both adult and pediatric patients. Since bone marrow cell transplantation is seriously limited by the availability of the immune-paired donor sources, the therapy for pediatric leukemia remains challenging. Ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) is a well-characterized component in red ginseng, and has established therapeutic effects for different diseases, although whether GRh2 may have a therapeutic effect on pediatric leukemia has not been investigated.
Methods:
We examined the effects of GRh2 on the survival of mice in an acute leukemia model. We analyzed the effects of GRh2 on the cell viability of leukemia cell lines in vitro, using a CCK-8 assay and an MTT assay. We analyzed the effects of GRh2 on the apoptosis of leukemia cell lines in vitro, by flow cytometry. We analyzed the levels of Bcl-2 and microRNA-21 (miR-21) in GRh2-treated leukemia cells. Prediction of binding between miR-21 and 3'-UTR of Bcl-2 mRNA was performed by a bioinformatics algorithm and confirmed by a dual luciferase reporter assay.
Results:
GRh2 significantly prolonged the survival of mice with pediatric leukemia. GRh2 significantly decreased the viability of leukemia cells in vitro, through induction of apoptosis. GRh2 significantly decreased the levels of an anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 in leukemia cells, possibly through induction of miR-21, which suppressed the translation of Bcl-2 mRNA via 3'-UTR binding.
Conclusion:
GRh2 may be an effective treatment for pediatric leukemia, and GRh2 may induce apoptosis of leukemia cells through miR-21-modulated suppression of Bcl-2.
