Ginseng Nanoparticles: A Budding Tool for Cancer Treatment

Abstract

CancerCancer is one of the most incurable diseases and is a major cause of death worldwide. It is estimated that the annual number of deaths due to cancer will be around 13.2 million by 2030 in all over the world [1]. Although chemotherapy is one of the mainstays for its treatment, the side effects as well as disadvantages, such as, normal cell cytotoxicity, chemoresistance and the ability to prevent the occurrence of cancers have been considered as important hitches. Thus, the complementary and alternative medicines with the utilization of the medicinal and functional food herbs could be an alternative method to combat the progression of cancers. In this juncture, oriental adaptogenic herbs (i.e., ginseng) could be promising candidates for the treatment of cancer as safe, complementary and alternative medicines as well as medicinal and functional food [1,2]. Ginseng & its relations to cancerGinseng or scientifically listed in the Panax species as Panax ginseng (Korean ginseng), P. quinquefolius (American ginseng) and P. notoginseng (Sanchi ginseng) has been considered one of the highly valued medicinal plants in traditional Chinese medicine for more than thousands of years. Commonly, ginseng is also known as 'king of all herbs'. Derived from Latin, 'Panax' means 'all-healing' and 'ginseng' is literally defined as 'essence of men' with its roots resembling

Ginseng-derived nanoparticles alter macrophage polarization to inhibit melanoma growth

“…However, the clinical application of Ginseng phytochemicals is significantly hampered due to its limited solubility, low oral bioavailability and nontargeted cytotoxicity to normal cells. Most reported nanoparticles of ginsenoside by various nanocarriers, such as polymer-drug conjugates, liposomes and metal nanoparticles could be a promising candidate against cancer and various other diseases [45]. In this study, we found that nanoparticle-like EVs are extracted from P. ginseng root.…”

Apoptotic and Nonapoptotic Activities of Pterostilbene against Cancer

“…However, the outcomes of these therapeutic strategies, mainly exerting pro-apoptotic effects on cancer cells, often ironically cause increased mortality due to the subsequent drug resistance and to metastatic recurrence [ 3 ]. Therefore, increasing attention has been paid to complementary and alternative medicines that take advantages of the medicinal and functional dietary herbs or phytochemicals to concertedly fight against cancers [ 4 ]. Cumulative evidence has pointed out that pterostilbene ( trans -3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxystilbene, PS), a dimethylated analog of resveratrol [ 5 ], has excellent pharmacological benefits for the prevention and treatment for various types of cancer by evoking apoptosis or apoptosis-independent effects [ 6 ].…”

Long Non-coding RNAs Contribute to the Inhibition of Proliferation and EMT by Pterostilbene in Human Breast Cancer

“…However, a number of therapeutic strategies such as these have ironically resulted in increased mortality due to drug resistance and metastatic recurrence. Therefore, more attention has been paid to the development of medicinal and functional dietary herbs or phytochemicals as alternatives to medicines to fight cancer (2, 3). Phytochemical agents have often been utilized as alternative therapies to improve the outcomes of traditional cancer treatment.…”