Induction of apoptosis and reversal of permeability glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance of MCF-7/ADM by ginsenoside Rh2.

Multidrug resistance is a phenomenon that cancer cells develop a cross-resistant phenotype against several unrelated drugs, and permeability glycoprotein derived from the overexpression of multidrug resistance gene 1 has been taken as the most significant cause of multidrug resistance. In the present study, ginsenoside Rh2 was used to reverse permeability glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance of MCF-7/ADM cell line. Effects of ginsenoside Rh2 on the apoptotic process and caspase-3 activity of MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADM cell lines were determined using flow cytometry and microplate reader. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium test was conducted to assess the IC50 values of ginsenoside Rh2 and adriamycin on MCF-7 and MCF-7/ADM cultures; Rhodamin 123 assay was used to assess the retention of permeability glycoprotein after ginsenoside Rh2 treatment; flow cytometry and real time polymerase chain reaction were used to determine the expression levels of permeability glycoprotein and multidrug resistance gene 1 in drug-resistant cells and their parental cells after exposure to ginsenoside Rh2. The results showed that ginsenoside Rh2, except for inducing apoptosis, had the ability to reverse multidrug resistance in MCF-7/ADM cell line without changing the expression levels of permeability glycoprotein and multidrug resistance gene 1. Our findings provided some valuable information for the application of ginsenoside Rh2 in cancer therapy, especially for multidrug resistance reversal in clinic.