Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongno-gu, Seoul 110-799, Korea.
J Nat Med. 2012 Jul;66(3):476-85. doi: 10.1007/s11418-011-0609-8. Epub 2011 Nov 20.
Since prostate growth is governed by the androgen signaling pathway, blockade of the pathway is regarded as an appropriate strategy for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Panax ginseng is known to have various pharmacological activities. Of several products of its root, red ginseng, having many bioactive ginsenosides, is most popularly used in Korea, and recently has been reported to control the proliferation of cancer cells. We here tested the effect of a water extract of Korean red ginseng (WKRG) on testosterone-induced prostate hyperplasia. WKRG (daily intraperitoneal injection) prevented prostate overgrowth and epithelial thickening induced by testosterone in rats, and suppressed a rat prostate kallikrein-S3. In human prostate cells, WKRG inhibited testosterone-induced cell proliferation, arrested cell cycle by inducing p21 and p27, and induced apoptosis. Testosterone-induced expression of human kallikrein-3 mRNA and activation of androgen receptor (AR) were effectively inhibited by WKRG. Of the major ginsenosides included in WKRG, 20(S)-Rg3 was identified to repress AR activity and to attenuate prostate cell growth during testosterone stimulation. Moreover, 20(S)-Rg3 downregulated AR by facilitating the degradation of AR protein. WKRG and 20(S)-Rg3 were found to have new pharmacological activities against testosterone-induced prostate overgrowth. Given that red ginseng has been used safely in Asia for 1000 years, red ginseng and 20(S)-Rg3 could be potential therapeutic regimens for treating BPH.
由于前列腺的生长受雄激素信号通路的调控，因此阻断该通路被认为是治疗良性前列腺增生（BPH）的一种适当策略。众所周知，人参具有多种药理作用。在其根部的几种产品中，红参含有许多生物活性的人参皂苷，在韩国最受欢迎，最近有报道称它可以控制癌细胞的增殖。我们在这里测试了高丽参水提取物（WKRG）对睾酮诱导的前列腺增生的影响。WKRG（每日腹腔注射）可预防睾酮诱导的大鼠前列腺过度生长和上皮增厚，并抑制大鼠前列腺激肽 S3。在人前列腺细胞中，WKRG 抑制了睾酮诱导的细胞增殖，通过诱导 p21 和 p27 使细胞周期停滞，并诱导细胞凋亡。WKRG 有效抑制了睾酮诱导的人激肽释放酶-3 mRNA 的表达和雄激素受体（AR）的激活。在包括在 WKRG 中的主要人参皂苷中，20(S)-Rg3 被鉴定为抑制 AR 活性并在睾酮刺激下减轻前列腺细胞生长。此外，20(S)-Rg3 通过促进 AR 蛋白的降解来下调 AR。WKRG 和 20(S)-Rg3 被发现具有针对睾酮诱导的前列腺过度生长的新的药理作用。鉴于红参在亚洲已经安全使用了 1000 年，红参和 20(S)-Rg3 可能成为治疗 BPH 的潜在治疗方案。
