Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41683534›Full record

ArticleMolecules (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Ginsenoside Rg5 Targets PRDX1 to Disrupt Redox Homeostasis and Induce Mitochondria-Dependent Apoptosis in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cells.

Hai-Lun Ye, Ya-Ni Wang, Gang-Ao Li, Xing-Hui Jin, Guan-Ting Wu, Yang Li, Ying-Hua Jin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Hai-Lun YeKey Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
Ya-Ni WangKey Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.ORCID 0000-0001-5956-0799
Gang-Ao LiKey Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
Xing-Hui JinKey Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
Guan-Ting WuKey Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
Yang LiKey Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
Ying-Hua JinKey Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.

Funding

Jilin Province Development and Reform Commission 2021FGWCXNLJSSZ01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with limited therapeutic options and poor clinical outcomes. Mounting evidence suggests that targeting cancer-specific metabolic and redox adaptations represents a promising therapeutic strategy. Peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1), a key antioxidant enzyme that is frequently overexpressed in HCC, enables tumor cells to neutralize excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby sustaining survival and conferring therapeutic resistance. In this study, using human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells as an in vitro model, we identify ginsenoside Rg5 (Rg5) as a previously unrecognized small-molecule inhibitor of PRDX1. Structural and functional analyses demonstrate that Rg5 directly binds to the Asn145 residue of PRDX1, effectively suppressing its peroxidase activity. Mechanistically, this inhibition disrupts ROS detoxification in HepG2 cells, leading to mitochondrial ROS accumulation, activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, and consequent HepG2 cell death. Additionally, Rg5 not only suppresses HepG2 cell survival but also acts synergistically with doxorubicin, a first-line chemotherapeutic agent, to markedly enhance antitumor efficacy and potentially mitigate chemoresistance. Collectively, these findings suggest that PRDX1 inhibition may represent a broadly exploitable vulnerability in liver cancer and establish Rg5 as a promising candidate for developing targeted and combinatorial therapies against HCC.

Indexed as

ApoptosisCarcinoma, HepatocellularGinsenosidesLiver NeoplasmsMitochondriaPeroxiredoxinsCell SurvivalDoxorubicinHep G2 CellsHomeostasisHumansOxidation-ReductionReactive Oxygen SpeciesDoxorubicinginsenoside Rg5GinsenosidesPeroxiredoxinsPRDX1 protein, humanReactive Oxygen Speciesapoptosiscancer therapyDOXginsenoside Rg5peroxiredoxin 1ROSsynergistic therapy

Identifiers

PMID41683534
PMCPMC12899158

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.