Ginsenoside Rg1 Attenuates Cigarette Smoke-Induced Pulmonary Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition via Inhibition of the TGF-β1/Smad Pathway

Abstract

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process associated with airway remodeling in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which leads to progressive pulmonary destruction. Panax ginseng is a traditional herbal medicine that has been shown to improve pulmonary function and exercise capacity in patients with COPD. Ginsenoside Rg1 is one of the main active components and was shown to inhibit oxidative stress and inflammation. The present study investigated the hypothesis that ginsenoside Rg1 attenuates EMT in COPD rats induced by cigarette smoke (CS) and human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE). Our data showed that CS or CSE exposure increased expression of the mesenchymal marker α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and decreased expression of the epithelial marker epithelial cadherin (E-cad) in both lung tissues and HBE cells, which was markedly suppressed by ginsenoside Rg1. Importantly, CS-induced upregulation of TGF-β1/Smad pathway components, including TGF-β1, TGF-βR1, phospho-Smad2, and phospho-Smad3, was also inhibited by ginsenoside Rg1. Additionally, ginsenoside Rg1 mimicked the effect of SB525334, a TGF-βR1-Smad2/3 inhibitor, on suppression of EMT in CSE-induced HBE cells. Collectively, we concluded that ginsenoside Rg1 alleviates CS-induced pulmonary EMT, in both COPD rats and HBE cells, via inhibition of the TGF-β1/Smad pathway.

Alantolactone suppresses inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress in cigarette smoke-induced human bronchial epithelial cells through activation of Nrf2/HO-1 and inhibition of the NF-κB pathways

“…COPD is considered the fourth leading cause of mortality globally [27]. Evidence has indicated that surgical therapy, rehabilitation and some agents, including methylxanthines, anticholinergics, corticosteroids, β2-agonists as well as phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors contribute to reducing COPD symptoms and improving patients' life quality [28]. However, no curative therapy for COPD has been achieved.…”

Ginsenoside Rg3 Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury via MerTK-Dependent Activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway

“…Ginsenoside Rg3, a traditional herbal medicine, is mainly involved in curing lung cancer ( Kim et al, 2014 ). Some recent research has verified that ginsenoside Rg3 is supposed to have anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory and anti-fatigue activities ( Bi et al, 2017 ; Guan and Xu, 2017 ). However, research with regards to the specific mechanism by which ginsenoside Rg3 takes effect on the anti-inflammatory process is rarely reported.…”

Ginsenoside Rg1 Alleviates Podocyte EMT Passage by Regulating AKT/GSK3 β/β-Catenin Pathway by Restoring Autophagic Activity

“…Ginseng has been used in traditional Chinese medicine formulations for more than 2,000 years and has shown antitransdifferentiation, antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and autophagic effects [14][15][16]. e pharmacological effects of ginseng are mainly attributed to the ginsenosides, primarily the ginsenoside Rg1.…”