Kang Han Su, Lim Hyun Kyung, Jang Won Young, Cho Jae Youl
Department of Integrative Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Mar 13;26(6):2593. doi: 10.3390/ijms26062593.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) poses a significant health burden worldwide and necessitates novel treatment approaches with fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy. Many natural compounds have been tested as possible cancer treatments. Plants in the genus have been widely studied due to their therapeutic potential for various diseases such as inflammatory disorders and cancers. Extracts from plants of genus activate upstream signals, including those related to autophagy and the generation of reactive oxygen species, to induce intrinsic apoptosis in CRC cells. The root extract of () regulated the gut microbiota to enhance the T-cell-induced immune response against CRC. Protopanaxadiol (PPD)-type ginsenosides, especially Rh2, Rg3, Rb1, and Rb2, significantly reduced proliferation of CRC cells and tumor size in a xenograft mouse model, as well as targeting programmed death (PD)-1 to block the immune checkpoint of CRC cells. Moreover, modified nanocarriers with ginsenosides upregulated drug efficacy, showing that ginsenosides can also be utilized as drug carriers. An increasing body of studies has demonstrated the potential of the genus in curing CRC. Ginsenosides are promising active compounds in the genus , which can also support the activity of conventional cancer therapies.
结直肠癌（CRC）在全球范围内造成了重大的健康负担，因此需要开发比传统化疗副作用更少的新型治疗方法。许多天然化合物已被作为可能的癌症治疗方法进行测试。由于其对炎症性疾病和癌症等各种疾病具有治疗潜力，该属植物已得到广泛研究。该属植物提取物可激活上游信号，包括与自噬和活性氧生成相关的信号，从而诱导CRC细胞发生内源性凋亡。某植物的根提取物可调节肠道微生物群，增强T细胞诱导的针对CRC的免疫反应。原人参二醇（PPD）型人参皂苷，尤其是Rh2、Rg3、Rb1和Rb2，在异种移植小鼠模型中显著降低了CRC细胞的增殖和肿瘤大小，同时靶向程序性死亡（PD）-1以阻断CRC细胞的免疫检查点。此外，含人参皂苷的改性纳米载体提高了药物疗效，表明人参皂苷也可作为药物载体。越来越多的研究证明了该属植物在治疗CRC方面的潜力。人参皂苷是该属中有前景的活性化合物，也可以支持传统癌症治疗的活性。
