Flavored black ginseng exhibited antitumor activity via improving immune function and inducing apoptosis

Abstract

The objective of this project was to examine saponin and carbohydrate conversion, and to evaluate the antitumor activity of a novel ready-to-eat flavored black ginseng (FBG). The results of chemical experiments showed that common saponins in ginseng such as ginsenoside Re, Rg1, Rb1, etc., are almost completely converted to rare saponins and aglycones such as ginsenoside Rg5, protopanaxadiol (PPD), etc., and non-reducing sugars such as starch are almost completely degraded into reducing sugars as affected by garlic juice and high temperature processing. Furthermore, pharmacological experimental results showed that this novel FBG could inhibit the growth of tumors in H₂₂ tumor-bearing mice dose-dependently at the dosage of 250, 500 and 1000 mg kg⁻¹; meanwhile, the results of ELISA, H&E staining, western blotting and qRT-PCR show that FBG could improve immune function and induce tumor cell apoptosis.