Abstract
Ginseng extract has been shown to possess certain anti-virus, anti-tumor and immune-activating effects. However, the immunostimulatory effect of ginseng berry extract (GB) has been less well characterized. In this study, we investigated the effect of GB on the activation of mouse dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro and in vivo. GB treatment induced up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules in bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs). Interestingly, GB induced a higher degree of co-stimulatory molecule up-regulation than ginseng root extract (GR) at the same concentrations. Moreover, in vivo administration of GB promoted up-regulation of CD86, MHC class I and MHC class II and production of IL-6, IL-12 and TNF-α in spleen DCs. GB also promoted the generation of Th1 and Tc1 cells. Furthermore, Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) and myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88) signaling pathway were essential for DC activation induced by GB. In addition, GB strongly prompted the proliferation of ovalbumin (OVA)-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells. Finally, GB induced DC activation in tumor-bearing mice and the combination of OVA and GB treatment inhibited B16-OVA tumor cell growth in C57BL/6 mice. These results demonstrate that GB is a novel tumor therapeutic vaccine adjuvant by promoting DC and T cell activation.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Antigen Presentation / drug effects
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Antigen Presentation / immunology
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Cell Differentiation / drug effects*
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Dendritic Cells / cytology*
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Dendritic Cells / drug effects*
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Dendritic Cells / immunology
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Dendritic Cells / metabolism
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Disease Models, Animal
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Fruit / chemistry*
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Lymphocyte Activation / drug effects
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Lymphocyte Activation / immunology
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Mice
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Mice, Knockout
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Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 / metabolism
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Neoplasms / drug therapy
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Neoplasms / immunology
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Neoplasms / metabolism
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Neoplasms / pathology
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Panax / chemistry*
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Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
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Signal Transduction / drug effects
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T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / cytology
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T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / drug effects
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T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / metabolism
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Toll-Like Receptor 4 / metabolism
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Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
Substances
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Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88
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Plant Extracts
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Toll-Like Receptor 4
Grants and funding
This study was supported by Research fund for International Young Scientists from National Natural Science Foundation of China (81450110090). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. AmorePacific Corporation provided support in the form of salary for author Si-Young Cho and research materials, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of this author are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.