Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2013, 14(2), 2980-2995; doi:10.3390/ijms14022980
Article

Compound K, a Ginsenoside Metabolite, Inhibits Colon Cancer Growth via Multiple Pathways Including p53-p21 Interactions

Zhiyu Zhang 1,2 email, Guang-Jian Du 1,2 email, Chong-Zhi Wang 1,2 email, Xiao-Dong Wen 1,2 email, Tyler Calway 2 email, Zejuan Li 3 email, Tong-Chuan He 4 email, Wei Du 5 email, Marc Bissonnette 6 email, Mark W. Musch 6 email, Eugene B. Chang 6 email and Chun-Su Yuan 1,2,7,* email
1 Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 4028, Chicago, IL 60637, USA 2 Department of Anesthesia & Critical Care, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 4028, Chicago, IL 60637, USA 3 Section of Hematology/Oncology, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 4028, Chicago, IL 60637, USA 4 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 3079, Chicago, IL 60637, USA 5 Ben May Department for Cancer Research, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 4028, Chicago, IL 60637, USA 6 Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, 900 E. 57th street, MB 9, Chicago, IL 60637, USA 7 Committee on Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 4028, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 6 December 2012; in revised form: 24 January 2013 / Accepted: 25 January 2013 / Published: 31 January 2013
PDF Full-text Download PDF Full-Text [1310 KB, Updated Version, uploaded 4 February 2013 15:24 CET]
The original version is still available [3066 KB, uploaded 31 January 2013 10:45 CET]
Abstract: Compound K (20-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol, CK), an intestinal bacterial metabolite of ginseng protopanaxadiol saponins, has been shown to inhibit cell growth in a variety of cancers. However, the mechanisms are not completely understood, especially in colorectal cancer (CRC). A xenograft tumor model was used first to examine the anti-CRC effect of CK in vivo. Then, multiple in vitro assays were applied to investigate the anticancer effects of CK including antiproliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle distribution. In addition, a qPCR array and western blot analysis were executed to screen and validate the molecules and pathways involved. We observed that CK significantly inhibited the growth of HCT-116 tumors in an athymic nude mouse xenograft model. CK significantly inhibited the proliferation of human CRC cell lines HCT-116, SW-480, and HT-29 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We also observed that CK induced cell apoptosis and arrested the cell cycle in the G1 phase in HCT-116 cells. The processes were related to the upregulation of p53/p21, FoxO3a-p27/p15 and Smad3, and downregulation of cdc25A, CDK4/6 and cyclin D1/3. The major regulated targets of CK were cyclin dependent inhibitors, including p21, p27, and p15. These results indicate that CK inhibits transcriptional activation of multiple tumor-promoting pathways in CRC, suggesting that CK could be an active compound in the prevention or treatment of CRC.
Keywords: colorectal cancer; ginsenoside; compound K; xenograft; cell cycle arrest; p53/p21

Article Statistics

Click here to load and display the download statistics.

Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, Z.; Du, G.-J.; Wang, C.-Z.; Wen, X.-D.; Calway, T.; Li, Z.; He, T.-C.; Du, W.; Bissonnette, M.; Musch, M.W.; Chang, E.B.; Yuan, C.-S. Compound K, a Ginsenoside Metabolite, Inhibits Colon Cancer Growth via Multiple Pathways Including p53-p21 Interactions. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2013, 14, 2980-2995.

AMA Style

Zhang Z, Du G-J, Wang C-Z, Wen X-D, Calway T, Li Z, He T-C, Du W, Bissonnette M, Musch MW, Chang EB, Yuan C-S. Compound K, a Ginsenoside Metabolite, Inhibits Colon Cancer Growth via Multiple Pathways Including p53-p21 Interactions. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2013; 14(2):2980-2995.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Zhiyu; Du, Guang-Jian; Wang, Chong-Zhi; Wen, Xiao-Dong; Calway, Tyler; Li, Zejuan; He, Tong-Chuan; Du, Wei; Bissonnette, Marc; Musch, Mark W.; Chang, Eugene B.; Yuan, Chun-Su. 2013. "Compound K, a Ginsenoside Metabolite, Inhibits Colon Cancer Growth via Multiple Pathways Including p53-p21 Interactions." Int. J. Mol. Sci. 14, no. 2: 2980-2995.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. EISSN 1422-0067 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert