Am J Chin Med. 1995 ; 23(3-4): 279-87.

Enhancement of nitric oxide production from activated macrophages by a purified form of ginsenoside (Rg1).

Fan ZH, Isobe K, Kiuchi K, Nakashima I.

Department of Immunology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.

We studied the actions of purified ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 on nitric oxide production from macrophages and a macrophage cell line RAW264-7. Although neither Rg1 nor Rb1 induced nitric oxide from resting macrophages, Rg1 enhanced the production of nitric oxide from IFN-gamma activated-macrophages or RAW cells. Rg1 also enhanced the production of nitric oxide from macrophages cocultured with nonadherent spleen cells stimulated by conA, LPS or anti-CD3. Rb1, however, did not significantly enhance nitric oxide production from stimulated macrophages or RAW cells. Rg1 enhanced the tumor cell killing by nitric oxide produced from IFN-gamma-activated macrophages.