Inhibitory effect of ginsenoside Rg3 combined with cyclophosphamide on growth and angiogenesis of ovarian cancer

Background Ginsenoside Rg3,the main component isolated from ginseng,inhibits some kinds of tumour growth andangiogenesis.The combination of low dose chemotherapy and antiangiogenesis inhibitors suppresses growth ofexperimental tumours more effectively than conventional therapy.The effect of this combination on ovarian cancerremains to be evaluated.Therefore,we investigated the synergism of ginsenoside Rg3 and cyclophosphamide (CTX) ongrowth and angiogenesis of human ovarian cancer.Methods Twenty-eight female athymic mice were divided randomly into 4 groups of 7:ginsenoside Rg3,CTX,ginsenoside Rg3 and CTX combination and control,after being transplanted with ovarian cancer cells (SKOV-3).Themice were given intraperitoneal injection of ginsenoside Rg3 and CTX for the 10 days following inoculation of SKOV-3cells.The life quality and number of living days of mice were recorded.The size of tumour,tumour inhibitive rate,lifeelongation rate,proliferating cell nuclear antigen labelling index (PCNALI),expression of vascular endothelial cell growthfactor (VEGF) and microvessel density (MVD) of the tumour tissues were estimated.Results Life quality of mice in ginsenoside Rg3 and combined treatment groups were better and number of living dayslonger than control.Average tumour weights of each treated group were less than control and there was no significantdifference among the treated groups.PCNALI of treated groups was lower than control.The MVD value and VEGFexpression in treated groups were significantly lower than control and the MVD values of ginsenoside Rg3 and combinedtreatment groups were lower than that of CTX group.Conclusions Ginsenoside Rg3 significantly inhibited growth and angiogenesis of ovarian cancer when used alone orcombined with CTX.Ginsenoside Rg3 and CTX combination reinforced the antitumour effect each other and improvedthe living quality and survival time of mice with tumour.