Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 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
Polysaccharides from ginseng leaves inhibit tumor metastasis via macrophage and NK cell activation
Myoung-Sook Shin1, Su-Hyun Hwang2, Taek-Joon Yoon3
1Natural Constituents Research Centre, Institute of Natural Products, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), 679 Saimdang-ro, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do 25451, Republic of Korea; Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyonggi University, 154-42 Gwanggyosan-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 16227, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
In this study, we purified the polysaccharide fraction (GS-P) from the leaves of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer and analyzed its monosaccharide composition and antitumor and antimetastatic activity in vitro and in vivo. GS-P is a 10.2kDa pectic polysaccharide consisting of 15 different monosaccharides. GS-P treatment significantly inhibited metastasis in mice, in a dose-dependent manner. GS-P was not cytotoxic to colon 26-M3.1 cells and increased mouse splenocyte proliferation. Secretion of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-12 was enhanced in the peritoneal exudate macrophages (PEMs) of GS-P-treated mice. Moreover, PEMs obtained from GS-P-treated mice showed significantly higher tumoricidal activity against colon 26-M3.1 cells, and splenocytes from GS-P-treated mice significantly enhanced NK cell cytotoxicity against YAC-1 tumor cells. Pretreatment with anti-asialo GM1 (an antibody for NK cell depletion) partly suppressed the inhibitory effects of GS-P on lung metastasis. These data suggest that GS-P exhibits antimetastatic activity by promoting the activation of macrophages and NK cells.
