Ginsenoside Rg3 Reduces Lipid Accumulation with AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) Activation in HepG2 Cells

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Seohyun Lee²  Mak-Soon Lee²  Chong-Tai Kim³  In-Hwan Kim¹ 

[1] Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Health Sciences, Korea University, Seoul 136-703, Korea; E-Mail:;Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea; E-Mails:;Food Bio-Nano Research Group, Korea Food Research Institute, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 463-746, Korea; E-Mail:

关键词: Cardiovascular disease (CVD);    ginsenoside Rg3;    cholesterol;    triglyceride;    SREBP-2;    HMGCR;    AMPK;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms13055729

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the main causes of mortality worldwide, and dyslipidemia is a major risk factor for CVD. Ginseng has been widely used in the clinic to treat CVD. Ginsenoside Rg3, one of the major active components of ginseng, has been reported to exhibit antiobesity, antidiabetic, and cardioprotective effects. However, the effect of ginsenoside Rg3 on hepatic lipid metabolism remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether ginsenoside Rg3 would regulate hepatic lipid metabolism with AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation in HepG2 cells. Ginsenoside Rg3 significantly reduced hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Furthermore, ginsenoside Rg3 inhibited expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR). Ginsenoside Rg3 increased activity of AMPK, a major regulator of energy metabolism. These results suggest that ginsenoside Rg3 reduces hepatic lipid accumulation with inhibition of SREBP-2 and HMGCR expression and stimulation of AMPK activity in HepG2 cells. Therefore, ginsenoside Rg3 may be beneficial as a food ingredient to lower the risk of CVD by regulating dyslipidemia.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.