Cancer still imposes a global threat to public health. After decades of research on
cancer biology and enormous efforts in developing anticancer
therapies, we now understand that the majority of
cancers can be prevented. Bioactive
phytochemicals present in edible plants have been shown to reduce the risk of various types of
cancer. Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer), which contains a wide variety of
saponins, known as
ginsenosides, is an age-old remedy for human ailments, including
cancer. Numerous laboratory-based studies have revealed the anticancer properties of
ginsenosides, which compel
tumor cells to commit suicide, arrest the proliferation of
cancer cells in culture and inhibit experimentally-induced
tumor formation in laboratory animals.
Ginsenosides have been reported to inhibit
tumor angiogenesis, as well as the invasion and
metastasis of various types of
cancer cells. Moreover,
ginsenosides as combination
therapy enhance the sensitivity of chemoresistant
tumors to clinically used chemotherapeutic agents. This review sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the
cancer chemopreventive and/or chemotherapeutic activity of
ginsenosides and their intestinal metabolites with particular focus on the modulation of cell signaling pathways associated with oxidative stress,
inflammation, cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and the
metastasis of
cancer cells.