Review
Anti-cancer and potential chemopreventive actions of ginseng by activating Nrf2 (NFE2L2) anti-oxidative stress/anti-inflammatory pathways
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* Corresponding authors: Constance LL Saw constancesaw@gmail.com - Ah-Ng Tony Kong kongt@pharmacy.rutgers.edu
1 Center for Cancer Prevention Research, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, USA
2 Department of Pharmaceutics, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, USA
3 Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
Chinese Medicine 2010, 5:37 doi:10.1186/1749-8546-5-37
Published: 27 October 2010Abstract
This article reviews recent basic and clinical studies of ginseng, particularly the anti-cancer effects and the potential chemopreventive actions by activating the transcriptional factor, nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2 or NFE2L2)-mediated anti-oxidative stress or anti-inflammatory pathways. Nrf2 is a novel target for cancer prevention as it regulates the antioxidant responsive element (ARE), a critical regulatory element in the promoter region of genes encoding cellular phase II detoxifying and anti-oxidative stress enzymes. The studies on the chemopreventive effects of ginseng or its components/products showed that Nrf2 could also be a target for ginseng's actions. A number of papers also demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of ginseng. Targeting Nrf2 pathway is a novel approach to the investigation of ginseng's cancer chemopreventive actions, including some oxidative stress and inflammatory conditions responsible for the initiation, promotion and progression of carcinogenesis.