Stereospecificity of ginsenoside Rg3 in promotion of the immune response to ovalbumin in mice

Abstract

Our previous investigation demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg3 was active in promotion of the immune response. In this study, two epimers, 20(R)-Rg3 and 20(S)-Rg3, were compared for their adjuvant effects on the immune response against ovalbumin (OVA). BALB/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with 10 μg of OVA alone or with 10 μg of OVA mixed in 20(R)-Rg3 (50 μg) or 20(S)-Rg3 (50 μg) on days 1 and 15. Two weeks after the last immunization, blood was sampled to test IgG and the IgG subclasses as well as IFN-γ and IL-5; splenocytes were prepared to measure proliferative responses to stimulations with Con A, LPS and OVA and mRNA expressions of cytokines and transcription factors by reverse transcription-PCR. Results indicated that both 20(R)-Rg3 and 20(S)-Rg3 exhibited the adjuvant effect on OVA-induced immune responses. 20(R)-Rg3 promoted significantly higher serum-specific IgG and the IgG isotype responses in association with highly up-regulated serum IFN-γ and IL-5 than 20(S)-Rg3. In addition, 20(R)-Rg3 significantly enhanced splenocyte proliferative responses to Con A, LPS and OVA as well as mRNA expression of IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-4 and IL-10 and transcription factors T-bet and GATA-3 by splenocytes when compared with the 20(S)-Rg3. Therefore, ginsenoside Rg3 is stereospecific in stimulation of the immune response, and 20(R)-Rg3 has more potent adjuvant activity than 20(S)-Rg3.

Ginsenoside Rb1 Attenuates Agonist-Induced Contractile Response via Inhibition of Store-Operated Calcium Entry in Pulmonary Arteries of Normal and Pulmonary Hypertensive Rats

“…It has been used widely as a tonic for various disorders in China, Korea and Japan for over two thousand years and is now a popular herbal remedy worldwide. Ginsenosides, the bioactive ingredients of ginseng, have been proven to provide therapeutic effects affecting the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and central nervous systems [6,7,8,9]. Ginsenosides are generally classified into two categories, namely the panaxadiols and the panaxatriols.…”

20(S)-Ginsenoside Rg3 is a novel inhibitor of autophagy and sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma to doxorubicin

“…Meyer is one of a diverse group of steroidal saponins with high pharmacological activity [16]. Stereospecific effects have been observed from this compound, with the 20(R) enantiomer, for instance, being more active as an antioxidant and in its promotion of the immune response [17, 18], and the 20(S) having a greater potential anti-diabetic activity [19]. While the 20(R) enantiomer of this compound is poorly soluble, the 20(S) enantiomer has a much higher solubility, thus making it more suitable for pharmaceutical development.…”

Supercritical carbon dioxide fractionation improves the antioxidative activity, anti-inflammatory activity, and therapeutic index of <em>Panax ginseng</em>

“…26 Furthermore, Rg 3 has been shown to be a potential adjuvant in OVA-immunized BALB/c mice. 27 In this study, we showed that F3, the deglycosylated ginsenoside-enriched fraction fractionated by SC-CO 2 , composed of Rh 1 , Rh 2 , and Rg 3 , exhibited the highest antiinflammatory ability in THP-1 cells compared to the other tested fractions.…”