Inhibitory Effects of Ginseng (Panax ginseng) Berry on Tumour Promotion and Inflammatory Ear Oedema Induced by TPA

Cancer prevention is a major issue in the field of public health. Ethanol extracts of the ginseng berry were found to inhibit the inflammation induced by 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a tumour promoter. The extracts also inhibited tumour promotion by TPA in the mouse skin two-stage carcinogenesis model. The major components, ginsenosides Rd ( 3 ) and Re ( 4 ), inhibited inflammation induced by TPA in mice, while protopanaxadiol ( 1 ) and protopanaxatriol ( 2 ), the aglycones of these ginsenosides, markedly inhibited TPA-induced inflammatory ear oedema in mice. The inhibitory effects of these compounds were more potent than those of indomethacin.