Biomedical Research

The present study assessed the ability of an extract of North American ginseng to prevent/ inhibit the development of hepatoma in mice, pre-injected with a known liver tumor inducer, dimethylnitrosamine (DEN). We hypothesized that a standardized, proprietary extract of this herb would inhibit the development of this tumor, given its success in abating leukemia and extending life span in mice. CVT-E002 was given 4 hours after DEN injection and administered daily via the diet until mice were 82 wk old. Control mice consumed identical chow without CVT-E002. At various intervals during the study, mice were euthanized and their spleen, bone marrow, and blood were taken for enumeration of natural killer (NK) cells, lymphocytes and “other” hemopoietic cells. There was a significant elevation in the absolute numbers of lymphocytes (p<0.0001: spleen; p<0.0001: BM) in CVT-E002-fed, DEN pre-injected mice vs control-diet mice. NK cells in the spleen and bone marrow (BM) were also significantly elevated at p<0.005 and p< 0.001, respectively. The proportions of blood-borne lymphocytes and NK cells reflected their increased absolute numbers in the spleen and BM. Finally, whereas 100% of control-diet mice had developed hepatoma and were euthanized by 82 wk, 100% of CVT-E002-fed mice remained alive, healthy and hepatoma- free at 82 wk, remaining healthy even after returning to control diet until euthanized as healthy animals at 98 wk. CVT-E002-driven immunoenhancement is believed to be the mechanism by which hepatoma was inhibited/prevented

Author(s): Punithavathi Durairaj, Sandra C. Miller
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