Page 110 - D. Cancer biology

[D. Cancer biology-70]

Ginsenoside Rk1 inhibits anticancer effect through ß-catenin

signalling pathway in neuroblastoma cells

Jung-MI Oh¹˙², Sun Young Park¹˙², Sungkun Chun¹˙²

¹Department of Physiology, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 54907, South Korea, ²Brain Korea

21 Plus Program, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju 54907, South Korea

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common childhood cancer, with a very poor prognosis. More than 60% of children
with NB die within 5 years; therefore, a more effective therapy for NB is required. As a more tolerable cancer drug

and natural product, ginsenosides have been shown to significantly inhibit the growth of some types of cancer, but

the effect of ginsenoside Rk1 on neuroblastoma has not been previously shown. Here, we obtained highly pure Rk1
from Korean ginseng and investigated its anticancer effects on a neuroblastoma cell line, and the results suggested
that Rk1 concentration-dependently inhibited SK-N-BE(2) cell viability. The effects of Rk1 were determined by flow

cytometry and cell staining; Rk1 increased apoptosis through nuclear condensation and mitochondrial membrane
potential loss, and induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Rk1 also inhibited the metastatic ability of SK-N-

BE(2) cells. Moreover, Rk1 (30 mg/kg) injections markedly inhibited xenograft tumour growth. These findings
demonstrate that Rk1 might be valuable in the development of anti-cancer agents for neuroblastoma treatment.