Black ginseng extract suppresses lung cancer growth in a xenograft mouse model.

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related death, and current therapies are limited by toxicity and drug resistance. Natural product-derived ginsenosides, particularly those in black ginseng extract (BGE), show potent anticancer activity, yet their effects on lung cancer overall are not well understood. Accordingly, we evaluated the preventive and therapeutic potential of BGE on human lung cancer cell proliferation and the growth of solid tumors in mice.

METHODS

The antitumor activity of BGE was evaluated by assessing its cytotoxic and apoptotic effects on human lung cancer cell Calu-3 and NCI-H1975 cells in vitro. For the in vivo experiment, Athymic NCr-nu/nu male mice bearing Calu-3 cell-derived lung tumor xenografts were orally administered BGE. Tumor volume and body weight were monitored throughout the treatment period. At the end of the study, tumors were excised and weighed, and liver and spleen tissues were collected and examined histologically using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining to assess tissue morphology and confirm the absence of BGE-induced abnormalities.

RESULTS

In vitro, BGE showed significant apoptosis-associated cytotoxicity in Calu-3 cells at a concentration of 10 mg/mL (P=0.002) and in NCI-H1975 cells at a concentration of 0.5 mg/mL (P<0.001). Conversely, in vivo administration of BGE in Calu-3 xenograft mice did not alter body weight (P=0.37) or tumor volume but significantly reduced tumor weight (P=0.042) and size (P=0.008). No significant changes were observed in the weights or histopathological features of the liver (P=0.67) and spleen (P=0.41), indicating that BGE does not cause toxicity in major organs.

CONCLUSIONS

BGE demonstrated strong antitumor effects against lung cancer cells under both in vitro and in vivo conditions, with no detectable toxicity in key organs. These findings highlight the potential of BGE as a safe and effective therapeutic or preventive agent for lung cancer.