Oral administration of fermented wild ginseng ameliorates DSS-induced acute colitis by inhibiting NF-κB signaling and protects intestinal epithelial barrier

• Published in: BMB reports Vol. 48; no. 7; pp. 419 - 425
• Main Authors: Seong, Myeong A, Woo, Jong Kyu, Kang, Ju-Hee, Jang, Yeong Su, Choi, Seungho, Jang, Young Saeng, Lee, Taek Hwan, Jung, Kyung Hoon, Kang, Dong Kyu, Hurh, Byung Seok, Kim, Dae Eung, Kim, Sun Yeou, Oh, Seung Hyun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 31.07.2015
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Administration, Oral; Animals; Colitis - chemically induced; Colitis - drug therapy; Colitis - pathology; Colon - pathology; Cytokines - biosynthesis; Dextran Sulfate; Female; Fermentation; Ginsenosides - pharmacology; Ginsenosides - therapeutic use; Inflammation - pathology; Intestinal Mucosa - drug effects; Intestinal Mucosa - pathology; Macrophages, Peritoneal - drug effects; Macrophages, Peritoneal - metabolism; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; NF-kappa B - metabolism; Panax - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; RAW 264.7 Cells; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Zonula Occludens-1 Protein - metabolism
• ISSN: 1976-6696; 1976-670X
• DOI: 10.5483/BMBRep.2015.48.7.039

Ginseng has been widely used for therapeutic and preventive purposes for thousands of years. However, orally administered ginseng has very low bioavailability and absorption in the intestine. Therefore, fermented ginseng was developed to enhance the beneficial effects of ginseng in the intestine. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory activity of fermented wild ginseng (FWG). We found that FWG significantly alleviated the severity of colitis in a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model, and decreased expression level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in colonic tissue. Moreover, we observed that FWG suppressed the infiltration of macrophages in DSS-induced colitis. FWG also attenuated the transcriptional activity of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) by reducing the translocation of NF-κB into the nucleus. Our data indicate that FWG contains anti-inflammatory activity via NF-κB inactivation and could be useful for treating colitis.