Ameliorative effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis: involvement of intestinal barrier remodeling in mice.

Background: Ginsenoside Rg1, a major bioactive ingredient of , has been shown to reduce gut inflammation and ameliorate experimental colitis in mice. However, it is not yet known whether it affects the intestinal barrier injury of colitis.

Methods: This study explored the effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on intestinal barrier injury in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice through an ultrastructure observation of the colonic mucosa and analysis of the expression of colonic cytoplasmatic zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) protein.

Results: Treatment with ginsenoside Rg1, especially high-dose use, significantly ameliorated colonic histopathologic features and the severity of the colitis and reduced colonic tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels and increase IL-4 levels in a mouse model of DSS-induced colitis. Its observed efficacy was comparable to that of 5-Aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), a first-line therapeutic agent for ulcerative colitis. Notably, ginsenoside Rg1 administration was shown to up-regulate the expression of colonic ZO-1 protein, and it repaired the intestinal barrier structure in DSS-induced colitis mice.

Conclusions: Taken together, our findings demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg1 treatment can significantly ameliorate the severity of DSS-induced colitis in mice, which involves intestinal barrier structure remodeling through lowering the levels of the colonic pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ and increasing the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4. These results suggest the potential therapeutic use of ginsenoside Rg1 as a promising approach for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).