Ginseng, the natural effectual antiviral: Protective effects of Korean Red Ginseng against viral infection

Im, Kyungtaek; Kim, Jisu; Min, Hyeyoung

Notoginsenoside ST-4 is a dammarane-type saponin of Panax notoginseng and has been reported to show antiHSV activity by inhibiting the penetration of HSV-1 into Vero cells [69] . Another in vitro study has shown that ginsenoside Rb1 promotes cell proliferation and inhibits the apoptosis of human glioma cells upon HSV infection, suggesting the potential application of ginsenoside Rb1 to prevent neuronal cell death in viral encephalitis [70] . The antiHSV-1 activity of RGE has also been reported in vivo. When Balb/c mice were administered 200 mg/kg or 400 mg/kg of RGE orally for 10 days and infected with HSV-1, the RGE-treated mice became more resistant to vaginal and systemic infection as shown by a decrease in clinical severity and increase in survival rate and viral clearance. RGE also stimulated IFN-g secretion in vaginal lavage fluid and increased the expression of IFN-g, granzyme B, and Fas-Ligand mRNA in lymph nodes and vaginal tissue, suggesting that RGE protects the host from HSV-1 infection by stimulating natural killer (NK) cell activities [71] . Given the diverse antiviral activities of RGE through the inhibition of viral penetration and cell death and NK cell activation, prophylactic use of RGE would be beneficial for preventing or alleviating primary and recurrent HSV infection in combination with conventional antiviral drugs [72] .