Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. May 26, 2024; 16(5): 591-603
Published online May 26, 2024. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v16.i5.591
Effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on hematopoietic stem cells in treating aplastic anemia in mice via MAPK pathway
Jin-Bo Wang, Ming-Wei Du, Yan Zheng
Jin-Bo Wang, Internal Medicine of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang Province, China
Ming-Wei Du, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Ming-Wei Du, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Medical Mycology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China
Ming-Wei Du, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Clinical Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
Yan Zheng, Department of Hepatic, The Xixi Hospital of Hangzhou Affiliated to Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310023, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-first authors: Jin-Bo Wang and Ming-Wei Du.
Author contributions: Wang JB and Zheng Y were the overall principal investigators who conceived the study, revised the manuscript and obtained financial support; Wang JB, Du MW, and Zheng Y collected the data, performed the bioinformatics analysis, drew the figures and tables and wrote the manuscript; Wang JB revised the manuscript; Wang JB and Du MW contributed equally to this work and should be regarded as co-first authors; All authors critically reviewed the article and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology, No. 2021WJCY366.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. The study was approved by Institutional Review Board of the Xixi Hospital of Hangzhou Affiliated to Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No. 202219).
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report having no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: All data findings are provided in this study, and raw data can be requested from the corresponding author.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yan Zheng, MMed, Staff Physician, Department of Hepatic, The Xixi Hospital of Hangzhou Affiliated to Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 2 Hengbu Street, Liuliu Town, Xihu District, Hangzhou 310023, Zhejiang Province, China. zjhzzygood@163.com
Received: January 30, 2024
Revised: February 20, 2024
Accepted: April 2, 2024
Published online: May 26, 2024
Processing time: 115 Days and 4.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Aplastic anemia (AA) presents a significant clinical challenge as a life-threatening condition due to failure to produce essential blood cells, with the current therapeutic options being notably limited.

AIM

To assess the therapeutic potential of ginsenoside Rg1 on AA, specifically its protective effects, while elucidating the mechanism at play.

METHODS

We employed a model of myelosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide (CTX) in C57 mice, followed by administration of ginsenoside Rg1 over 13 d. The investigation included examining the bone marrow, thymus and spleen for pathological changes via hematoxylin-eosin staining. Moreover, orbital blood of mice was collected for blood routine examinations. Flow cytometry was employed to identify the impact of ginsenoside Rg1 on cell apoptosis and cycle in the bone marrow of AA mice. Additionally, the study further evaluated cytokine levels with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and analyzed the expression of key proteins in the MAPK signaling pathway via western blot.

RESULTS

Administration of CTX led to significant damage to the bone marrow’s structural integrity and a reduction in hematopoietic cells, establishing a model of AA. Ginsenoside Rg1 successfully reversed hematopoietic dysfunction in AA mice. In comparison to the AA group, ginsenoside Rg1 provided relief by reducing the induction of cell apoptosis and inflammation factors caused by CTX. Furthermore, it helped alleviate the blockade in the cell cycle. Treatment with ginsenoside Rg1 significantly alleviated myelosuppression in mice by inhibiting the MAPK signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

This study suggested that ginsenoside Rg1 addresses AA by alleviating myelosuppression, primarily through modulating the MAPK signaling pathway, which paves the way for a novel therapeutic strategy in treating AA, highlighting the potential of ginsenoside Rg1 as a beneficial intervention.

Keywords: Aplastic anemia; Ginsenoside Rg1; Myelosuppression; MAPK signaling pathway; Bone marrow; Hematopoietic stem cells

Core Tip: This study evaluated ginsenoside Rg1’s efficacy in aplastic anemia (AA) treatment, focusing on its impact on bone marrow pathology, hematopoiesis, and inflammation in a cyclophosphamide-induced myelosuppression C57 mice model. It demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg1 not only reduces cell apoptosis and inflammation but also promotes hematopoietic recovery by inhibiting the MAPK signaling pathway, offering a potential therapeutic strategy for AA.