Cancer chemopreventive activity of majonoside-R2 from vietnamese ginseng, Panax vietnamensis

• Published in: Cancer letters Vol. 147; no. 1-2; pp. 11 - 16
• Main Authors: KONOSHIMA, T, TAKASAKI, M, ICHIISHI, E, MURAKAMI, T, TOKUDA, H, NISHINO, H, NGUYEN MINH DUC, KASAI, R, YAMASAKI, K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier 01.12.1999
• Subjects: Alkylating Agents; Animals; Anticarcinogenic Agents - isolation & purification; Anticarcinogenic Agents - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinogenesis, carcinogens and anticarcinogens; Carcinogenicity Tests; Carcinogens; Diethylnitrosamine; Female; Focal Nodular Hyperplasia - chemically induced; Focal Nodular Hyperplasia - prevention & control; Foods and miscellaneous; Ginsenosides; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental - chemically induced; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental - prevention & control; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Mice, Inbred SENCAR; Nitrates; Nitro Compounds; Panax - chemistry; Papilloma - chemically induced; Papilloma - prevention & control; Phenobarbital; Plants, Medicinal; Saponins - isolation & purification; Saponins - pharmacology; Skin Neoplasms - chemically induced; Skin Neoplasms - prevention & control; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Tumors; Vietnam; Vietnam; Antineoplastic agent; Liver; Tumor promotor; Rodentia; Hepatic disease; Malignant tumor; Anticarcinogen; Carcinogenesis; Biological activity; Saponin; Prevention; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Animal; Nitric oxide; Digestive diseases; Ginseng; Organic nitrite
• ISSN: 0304-3835; 1872-7980
• DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3835(99)00257-8

In the course of our continuing search for novel cancer chemopreventive agents from natural sources, several kinds of Panax plants were screened. Consequently, the ocotillol-type saponin, majonoside-R2 (MR2), was obtained from the rhizome and root of Panax vietnamensis (Vietnamese ginseng) as an active constituent. MR2 exhibited potent anti-tumor-promoting activity on two-stage carcinogenesis test of mouse hepatic tumor using N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) as an initiator and phenobarbital (PB) as a promoter. Further, MR2 exhibited the remarkable inhibitory effect on two-stage carcinogenesis test of mouse skin induced by nitric oxide (NO) donor/12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) or peroxynitrite/TPA.