Effect of ginsenoside compound K on proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells and its mechanism

Objective To detect the influence of ginsenoside compound K (CK) on proliferation, apoptosis of SKOV3 cells. Methods Cell viabilities was analyzed by CCK8 assays. Cell cycle and apoptosis rate were detected by flow cytometry. Western-blotting assay was used to analyze the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. Results After treatment with 5 μmol/L CK for 48 h, the proliferation of SKOV3 cells was significantly inhibited, and the growth cycle was arrested in G0/G1 phase, the total apoptosis rate was 11.06%. The western blotting results showed that the expressions of mitochondrial-mediated apoptotic signaling pathway-related proteins such as anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl decreased, while the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bid increased. However, the apoptotic signaling pathway mediated by death receptor (Fas/FasL) did not change significantly. Conclusion CK can significantly inhibit the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells and induce cell apoptosis via mitochondrial-mediated apoptotic pathway. Key words: Compound K; Ovarian cancer; Cell proliferation; Cell apoptosis; Mitochondrial mediation