Anticarcinogenic effect of long-term oral administration of red ginseng on newborn mice exposed to various chemical carcinogens.

This investigation was carried out to evaluate the effects of ginseng in inhibition or prevention of carcinogenesis induced by various chemical carcinogens. Korean red ginseng was administered orally to the newborn mice. 9, 10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene (DMBA), urethane, and aflatoxin B1 were injected in subscapular region of ICR mice within 24 hr after birth. Controls comprised three groups of ICR newborn mice: normal, (100) ginseng, (200), and vehicle (316). The six experimental groups of ICR newborn mice comprised DMBA (101), DMBA combined with ginseng (103), urethane (94), urethane combined with ginseng (92), aflatoxin B1 (50), and aflatoxin B1 combined with ginseng (47). The mice were autopsied immediately following sacrifice. All major organs were examined grossly and weighed. Histopathological examinations were also made. In the group sacrificed at 48 weeks after the treatment with DMBA (DMBA combined with ginseng extract), the average diameter of the largest lung adenomas decreased by 23%. The incidence of diffuse pulmonary infiltration decreased by 63%, and the average lung weight of male mice decreased by 21%. In the group sacrificed at 28 weeks after the treatment (urethane combined with ginseng), there was a 22% decrease (P less than 0.05) in the incidence of lung adenoma. In the group sacrificed at 56 weeks after birth (aflatoxin B1 combined with ginseng), there were decreases in the incidence of lung adenoma (29%) and hepatoma (75%) (P less than 0.05). These findings indicate that the prolonged administration of Korean red ginseng extract inhibited the incidence and also the proliferation of tumors induced by DMBA, urethane, and aflatoxin B1.