Ginsenoside Rg1 ameliorates testicular�senescence�changes in D‑gal‑induced aging mice via anti‑inflammatory and antioxidative mechanisms

Abstract

With the growing population, aging, extended lifespans and anti-aging have become popular areas of research in the life and social sciences. With increasing age, the structure and function of the testes, the spermatogenetic and androgen-producing organ in the male reproductive system, gradually declines. Ginsenoside Rg1 is an extract of Panax ginseng in traditional Chinese medicine. The extract facilitates anti-aging through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, it has not been reported whether ginsenoside Rg1 delays testicular aging. The present study established D-galactose (D-gal)-induced aging mouse models to examine the protective effects of ginsenoside Rg1 on the structure and function of the testes, and the underlying mechanism. A total of 60 healthy specific pathogen-free male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups: Control group; Rg1 group; D-gal + Rg1 group; and D-gal group. The tissues of the mice were used for further experiments. The present study further investigated the effects of Rg1 on the volume of serum testosterone, the testicular index, testicular microscopic structures, the senescence of spermatogenetic cells, the apoptosis of spermatogenetic cells, the activity of the antioxidant enzymes, the levels of inflammatory cytokines, and the levels of S-phase kinase-associated protein (p19), cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1 (p21) and cellular tumor antigen p53 (p53) in D-gal-induced aging mice. In general, compared with the D-gal group, the treatment of Rg1 increased the testis index, serum testosterone level and the active content of superoxide dismutase and the total antioxidant capacity. The percentage of senescence-associated β-galactosidase-positive cells, the level of apoptosis and the volume of methane dicarboxylic aldehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 in testicular tissues were significantly decreased, and the expression of p19, p53 and p21 was downregulated due to the treatment with Rg1. The results of the present study demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg1 was able to protect the testes against D-gal-induced aging in mice. In addition, the protective effect of Rg1 may be achieved via antioxidation and downregulation of the p19/p53/p21 signaling pathway.

Functional soluble dietary fiber from ginseng residue: Polysaccharide characterization, structure, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibitory activity

“…Modern medicine has proven that ginseng has pharmacological effects, including antitumor and antiaging properties, inhibition of apoptosis, reduction of blood glucose and blood lipids, improvement of memory and immune function, etc. (Lin et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2018).…”

Ginsenoside Rg1 Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Induces Markers of Cell Senescence in CD34+CD38– Leukemia Stem Cells Derived from KG1α Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells by Activating the Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)/Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 2 (TSC2) Signaling Pathway

“…The traditional Chinese medicine theory has recommended the use of ginseng for its anti-aging, anti-apoptosis, anti-oxidant, and immune-enhancing properties [15,29]. Previous studies have reported that the ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) promoted the proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and reduced the longevity of mice by reducing DNA damage and down-regulating the expression of p16INK4a and p21CIP1/WAF1 [30,31]. Rg1 was previously shown to inhibit the proliferation of the leukemia cell, K562, by inducing cell senescence [32].…”

Mitochondria-related miR-574 reduces sperm ATP by targeting ND5 in aging males

“…The procedures of animal experiments were executed according to the NIH guide for the care and use of laboratory animals, and were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Nanjing Jinling Hospital. Two aging mouse models were established as described previously [33][34][35]. In the D-gal-induced aging mouse model, D-gal (Sigma-Aldrich) (120 mg/kg/day) was injected subcutaneously into the mice daily for 42 days, and saline was given at the same volume subcutaneously in the control group.…”