Effect of Oral Administration of Red ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP) on the Tumor Growth Inhibition

Our previous reports demonstrated that ip. administration of Korean red ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP) exerts antitumor activity In mice. The present study was carried out to compare the effects of ip. and p.o. routes of administration of RGAP on either normal or tumor-bearing BALB/c mice. RGAP was administered either ip. or p.o. at doses of 100, 300, 500, 1000 mg/kg for 1 or 5 weeks. Peritoneal macrophages from mice treated with RGAP p.o. at a dose of 300 mg/kg either for 1 or 5 weeks did not exhibit growth inhibition activity toward WEHI-I64 tumor cells. However, administration of RGAP at a dose of 600 mg/kg for both 1 and 5 weeks increased the antitumor activity of macrophages. Oral administration of RGAP (600 mg/kg) for 5 weeks and ip. administration of RGAP (300 mg/kg) for 1 week resulted in antitumor activities of $40\%$ and $45\%$, respectively, indicating that the effect of i.p. injection is more potent 2 and 5 times than that of p.o. one in terms of dose and duration, respectively. Tumor inhibition rates of RGAP at doses of 300, 500, 1000 mg/kg in mice transplanted with B16-F10 melanoma were 4.4, 12.0, and $45.4\%$, respectively, meaning that p.o. dose higher than 500 mg/kg possess marked antitumor activity. The results above suggests that p.o. administration of RGAP also show antitumor activity in vivo depending on the dose.

홍삼산성다당체 (RGAP)의 경구투여에 의한 항종양 효과