Research Progress on Antitumor Activity and Mechanism of Ginsenosides

Ginseng is an important food and medicine homologous plant, which has various physiological functions of antitumor, antiinflammatory, antifatigue and improving immunity. Ginsenosides are the most important active components in ginseng, in vivo and in vitro experiments have confirmed that ginsenosides have significant antitumor activity, among which ginsenoside Rg3 has been used as a monomer drug for adjuvant therapy of tumor patients. Studies have shown that the anti-tumor activity of ginsenosides is achieved through different pathways, including inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, inducing tumor cell apoptosis, inhibiting tumor cell invasion and metastasis, blocking tumor angiogenesis, enhancing organism immune system, and resisting oxidation stress, and synergizing with chemotherapy drugs. This article reviews the antitumor action pathways of ginsenosides, provides a theoretical basis for the development of ginseng antitumor functional foods.