Ginsenoside Rg3 in Cancer Therapy: Pharmacokinetics, Molecular Mechanisms, and Synergistic Combinations

作者：Cui Y, Li J, Liu C, Yu G, Shi J, Li X, Qi J, Guo R, Fan H, Zhang S, Wang C, Chen K, Luo Z · 发表于：The American journal of Chinese medicine · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1142/s0192415x26500552 · 研究领域：Ginsenosides、Neoplasms、Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic、Phytotherapy、Humans、Drug Synergism、Animals、Panax、Apoptosis、Drug Delivery Systems

Ginsenoside Rg3, a rare protopanaxadiol-type saponin enriched during the heat processing of Panax ginseng, has attracted increasing attention as a multitarget anticancer agent. This systematic review examines the anticancer potential of Rg3 through comprehensive searches of the PubMed and Web of Science databases, with a focus on peer-reviewed preclinical and clinical studies. The therapeutic efficacy of Rg3 is critically influenced by its stereochemical configuration, concentration-dependent bidirectional regulation, and pharmacokinetic constraints, including poor oral bioavailability, rapid clearance, and gut microbiota-mediated metabolism. Nanocarrier-based and targeted delivery systems have substantially improved its pharmacokinetic profile and tumor accumulation, supporting its further development for anticancer applications. Within this pharmacological context, Rg3 exhibits broad-spectrum anticancer activity across multiple solid tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma, melanoma, lung, ovarian, breast, colon, gastric, and prostate cancers, as well as osteosarcoma, renal cancer, lung adenocarcinoma, glioblastoma, gallbladder, nasopharyngeal, cervical, and pancreatic cancers, and the hematological malignancy multiple myeloma. Mechanistically, Rg3 suppresses cancer progression through coordinated regulation of proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis, angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cancer stemness, immune evasion, and redox homeostasis, primari...