EFFECT OF RED GINSENG ON NATURAL KILLER CELL ACTIVITY IN MICE WITH LUNG ADENOMA INDUCED BY URETHAN AND BENZO(A)PYRENE

홍삼이 Urethan 및 Benzo(a)pyrene에 의하여 폐선종이 유발된 마우스에서 Natural Killer 세포활성도에 미치는 영향

It was previously reported that red ginseng extract inhibited carcinogenesis by urethan, DMBA and aflatoxin $B_1E (Cancer Detection and Prevention, 6: 515-525, 1983). In an attempt to investigate the mechanism of the anticarcinogenic effect of ginseng, we assayed natural killer (N.K) activity in mice treated with urethan and benzo(a)pyrene. In our experiment newly born Swiss Webster mice, less than 24 hrs. old, were given a single subcutaneous injection of lmg of ure-than and 40ug of benzo(a)pyrene. The mice had been administered with ginseng since weaning, and sacrificed at various intervals. Major organs were examined both, with the naked eye and microscopically. N.K. activity of spleen cells was analyzed in a 12-hour $^{51}Cr^-release$ assay against YAC-1 cells. Administration of ginseng resulted in an increase of N.K. activity by $18\%$ at 4 weeks, $20\%$ (P < 0.05) at 6, $29\%$ (P < 0.05) at 12, and $13\%$ at 24 following a single injection of urethan. At the same time, significantly lower incidences of lung adenoma were noted at 6 weeks $(50\%)$ and 12 weeks $(27\%)$ following the administration of ginseng to urethan-injected mice. This result indicates that the enhancement of N.K. activity by ginseng makes a contribution to its anticarcinogenic effect. On the hand, N.K. activity was suppressed by benzo(a)pyrene during the time span of this experiment and it almost returned to the level of controls following the adminsitration of ginseng. However, the lung adenoma induced by benzo(a)pyrene began to occur at 48 weeks in which N.K. activity had naturally declined to a very low level in all experimental mice, and administration of ginseng did not decrease the incidence. In explanation of this result, we might propose that the recovery of the N.K. activity by ginseng had little effect on the incidence of lung adenoma because of the long latent period of carcinogenesis by benzo(a)pyrene. In conclusion, these results suggest that the anticarcinogenic effect of ginseng in urethan-treated mice may be related to the augmentation of N.K. activity.

홍삼의 항발암작용 기전을 규명하기 위한 목적의 일환으로 홍삼추출물이 urethan 및 b두캐 (a) pyrene을 투여한 마우스에서 natural killer(N.K) 세포활성도 및 폐선종 발생에 미치는 영향을 발암물질 처리 후 48주동안 검색하였다. N.K 세포 활성도는 urethan 및 benzo (a) pyrene 의 처리에 의하여 현저히 저하되었다. 이와 같은 N. K 세포활성도의 저하는 상기 발암물질 투여후 4주부터 나타나 24주까지 계속되었으며 홍삼투여에 의하여 정상대조군의 수준으로 되돌아 왔다. 동시에 urethan에 의해 6주시부터 유발되기 시작한 폐선종 역시 홍삼투여에 의해 그 발생빈도가 현저히 억제되었다. 반면 benzo (a) pyrene에 의해 유발된 폐선종은 48주시에 나타나기 시작하였는데 이 시기는 N.K 세포 활성도가 자연적으로 너무 낮은 수준으로 떨어져 있어 홍삼의 영향을 받을 수 없는 시기였으며 홍삼투여에 의해 폐선종의 발생빈도 역시 억제되지 않았다. 결론적으로 저자들은 본 연구를 통하여 홍삼에 의한 항발암 효과는 N.K 세포활성도의 증대와 관련되어 있음을 알 수 있었다.