Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Effects of the Red Ginseng Essential Oil in H2O2-Treated HepG2 Cells and CCl4-Treated Mice

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant mechanisms of red ginseng essential oil (REO) in cells as well as in an animal model. REO was prepared by a supercritical CO2 extraction of waste-products generated after hot water extraction of red ginseng. In HepG2 cells, REO diminished the H2O2-mediated oxidative stress and also restored both the activity and expression of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Administration of REO inhibited the phosphorylation of upstream mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) such as c-Jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and p38. In mice, the CCl4-mediated elevation of serum aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase as well as the induction of hepatic lipid peroxidation were decreased by REO administration. REO treatments also resulted in up-regulation of the antioxidant enzyme expression in the liver. Moreover, increased phosphorylations of MAPKs were inhibited after REO administration. Overall, REO seems to protect the liver from oxidative stress through the activation and induction of antioxidant enzymes via inhibition of MAPKs pathways.

Nrf2 pathway activation contributes to anti-fibrosis effects of ginsenoside Rg1 in a rat model of alcohol- and CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis

“…Ginseng extracts have been reported to exert protective effects, in in vitro studies as well as in various animal and clinical models, in models of liver injury induced by a variety of hepatotoxins, including CCl 4 and alcohol [17,19,22,37,46] . However, research on the effect of Rg1 on liver fibrosis is limited [21] .…”

“…Oxidative stress represents a direct or indirect pro-fibrogenic stimulus for HSC activation [28][29][30] . In the search for therapeutic strategies for hepatic fibrosis, many antioxidants show promising results [24,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36] , including ginseng extracts [22,37] . However, there are few reports that have evaluated the effects of Rg1 on hepatic fibrosis by inhibiting oxidative stress [21] .…”

Detoxifying effect of fermented black ginseng on H2O2-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells

“…These include antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), which catalyzes the dismutation of superoxide anions to hydrogen peroxide; catalase (CAT), which converts H 2 O 2 into molecular oxygen and water; glutathione peroxidase (GPx), which catalyzes the degradation of H 2 O 2 and hydroperoxides. On the non-enzymatic level, certain vitamins and other antioxidant compounds scavenge free radicals and delay the oxidation of molecules (4,5). Phytochemicals provide further protection against oxidative damage from free radicals.…”

Black Soybean Seed Coat Extract Prevents Hydrogen Peroxide-Mediated Cell Death via Extracellular Signal-Related Kinase Signalling in HepG2 Cells

“…As a model of mammalian hepatocytes, therefore, HepG2 human hepatoma cells were used in this study because HepG2 cells stably express MAPK and related proteins and show responses to oxidative stress similarly to those of in vivo studies despite the lack of some liver functions (6,10,19). Cells were grown in DMEM (Life Technologies Japan Co., Tokyo, Japan) supplemented with 10% foetal bovine serum, 100 U/mL penicillin and 100 mg/mL streptomycin at 37˚C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2.…”

“…ROS are reportedly involved in many diseases and stimulate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways (7,9,10) including extracellular signalrelated kinase (ERK), p38 and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Signals through these pathways are transmitted by sequential protein phosphorylation reactions and are blocked by dephosphorylation by protein phosphatases (PPs) (11)(12)(13).…”