# Research Progress on the Anticancer Effect of Ginsenoside Rh1

**Authors:** Yiqiong Zhang, Qinghua Yao

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/cimb48020219 · Current Issues in Molecular Biology · 2026-02-17

## TL;DR

Ginsenoside Rh1, a compound from ginseng, shows promise in fighting various cancers by inhibiting tumor growth and inducing cell death.

## Contribution

This paper systematically summarizes the anticancer mechanisms of Ginsenoside Rh1 across multiple cancer types and highlights its potential for drug development.

## Key findings

- Ginsenoside Rh1 inhibits cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.
- It induces apoptosis by regulating multiple signaling pathways.
- Rh1 can inhibit MMPs expression and modulate angiogenesis and the immune microenvironment.

## Abstract

Cancer is one of the major lethal diseases in the world, and Western medicine treatments are often affected by side effects and drug resistance. Ginseng is a commonly used Chinese medicine in clinical practice, and Ginsenoside Rh1, an important active ingredient in ginseng, has received widespread attention in recent years for its remarkable anticancer potential. In this paper, we systematically described the inhibitory effects of Ginsenoside Rh1 and its molecular mechanism in hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, colon carcinoma, breast carcinoma, ovarian carcinoma, cervical carcinoma, lung carcinoma and glioma. Studies have shown that Rh1 can inhibit cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induce apoptosis by regulating multiple signaling pathways. In addition, Rh1 can inhibit MMPs expression and regulate angiogenesis and the immune microenvironment to exert synergistic anticancer effects. Although the efficacy of Rh1 has been confirmed in vitro and animal studies, the clinical translation of Rh1 requires further exploration of its in vivo pharmacokinetics, long-term safety, and precise targets. In this paper, we systematically summarize the multiple anticancer mechanisms of Rh1 and look forward to the prospect of combining Rh1 with existing therapies to provide a theoretical basis for the development of novel anticancer drugs.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** Ginsenoside Rh1 (PubChem CID 12855917)
- **Diseases:** hepatocellular carcinoma (MONDO:0007256), gastric carcinoma (MONDO:0004950), colon carcinoma (MONDO:0002032), breast carcinoma (MONDO:0004989), ovarian carcinoma (MONDO:0005140), cervical carcinoma (MONDO:0005131), lung carcinoma (MONDO:0005138), glioma (MONDO:0021042)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** VEGFA (vascular endothelial growth factor A) [NCBI Gene 7422] {aka L-VEGF, MVCD1, VEGF, VPF}, Mucin [NCBI Gene 100508689], RHOA (ras homolog family member A) [NCBI Gene 387] {aka ARH12, ARHA, EDFAOB, RHO12, RHOH12}, CCL20 (C-C motif chemokine ligand 20) [NCBI Gene 6364] {aka CKb4, Exodus, LARC, MIP-3-alpha, MIP-3a, MIP3A}, TP53 (tumor protein p53) [NCBI Gene 7157] {aka BCC7, BMFS5, LFS1, P53, TRP53}, NR3C1 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1) [NCBI Gene 2908] {aka GCCR, GCR, GCRST, GR, GRL}, NFKB1 (nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1) [NCBI Gene 4790] {aka CVID12, EBP-1, KBF1, NF-kB, NF-kB1, NF-kappa-B1}, MIR26B (microRNA 26b) [NCBI Gene 407017] {aka MIRN26B, hsa-mir-26b, miR-26b}, ERBB2 (erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2) [NCBI Gene 2064] {aka CD340, HER-2, HER-2/neu, HER2, MLN 19, MLN-19}, MMP1 (matrix metallopeptidase 1) [NCBI Gene 4312] {aka CLG}, NR4A1 (nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 1) [NCBI Gene 3164] {aka GFRP1, HMR, N10, NAK-1, NGFIB, NP10}, ROCK1 (Rho associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1) [NCBI Gene 6093] {aka P160ROCK, ROCK-I}, EREG (epiregulin) [NCBI Gene 2069] {aka EPR, ER, Ep}, STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) [NCBI Gene 6774] {aka ADMIO, ADMIO1, APRF, HIES}, AKT1 (AKT serine/threonine kinase 1) [NCBI Gene 207] {aka AKT, PKB, PKB-ALPHA, PRKBA, RAC, RAC-ALPHA}, BAX (BCL2 associated X, apoptosis regulator) [NCBI Gene 581] {aka BCL2L4}, CSNK2A2 (casein kinase 2 alpha 2) [NCBI Gene 1459] {aka CK2A2, CK2alpha', CSNK2A1}, HHEX (hematopoietically expressed homeobox) [NCBI Gene 3087] {aka HEX, HMPH, HOX11L-PEN, PRH, PRHX}, EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) [NCBI Gene 1956] {aka ERBB, ERBB1, ERRP, HER1, NISBD2, NNCIS}, PIK3CB (phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit beta) [NCBI Gene 5291] {aka P110BETA, PI3K, PI3KBETA, PIK3C1}, JUNB (JunB proto-oncogene, AP-1 transcription factor subunit) [NCBI Gene 3726] {aka AP-1}, PIWIL1 (piwi like RNA-mediated gene silencing 1) [NCBI Gene 9271] {aka CT80.1, HIWI, MIWI, PIWI}, CTNNB1 (catenin beta 1) [NCBI Gene 1499] {aka CTNNB, EVR7, MRD19, NEDSDV, armadillo}, CD8A (CD8 subunit alpha) [NCBI Gene 925] {aka CD8, CD8alpha, IMD116, Leu2, p32}, TGFB1 (transforming growth factor beta 1) [NCBI Gene 7040] {aka CAEND1, CED, DPD1, IBDIMDE, LAP, TGF-beta1}, MPO (myeloperoxidase) [NCBI Gene 4353], SMAD2 (SMAD family member 2) [NCBI Gene 4087] {aka CHTD8, JV18, JV18-1, LDS6, MADH2, MADR2}, BCL2 (BCL2 apoptosis regulator) [NCBI Gene 596] {aka Bcl-2, PPP1R50}, MAPK8 (mitogen-activated protein kinase 8) [NCBI Gene 5599] {aka JNK, JNK-46, JNK1, JNK1A2, JNK21B1/2, PRKM8}, TIMP1 (TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 1) [NCBI Gene 7076] {aka CLGI, EPA, EPO, HCI, TIMP, TIMP-1}, MMP9 (matrix metallopeptidase 9) [NCBI Gene 4318] {aka CLG4B, GELB, MANDP2, MMP-9}
- **Diseases:** Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (MESH:D002289), colon carcinoma (MESH:D003110), lung adenocarcinoma (MESH:D000077192), Gastric Adenocarcinoma (MESH:D013274), intestinal cancer (MESH:D007414), Digestive System Tumors (MESH:D004067), Lung Cancer (MESH:D008175), Cancer (MESH:D009369), Cervical Carcinoma (MESH:D002583), inflammatory (MESH:D007249), injury to (MESH:D014947), Glioma (MESH:D005910), astrocytoma (MESH:D001254), HCC (MESH:D006528), Ovarian Cancer (MESH:D010051), Breast Cancer (MESH:D001943), Triple-negative Breast Cancer (MESH:D064726), cytotoxic (MESH:D064420), Gynecological Tumors (MESH:D005833), death (MESH:D003643), Colorectal Cancer (MESH:D015179), metastasis (MESH:D009362)
- **Chemicals:** dammarane (MESH:C102963), Oxaliplatin (MESH:D000077150), Ginsenoside Rh1 (MESH:C425564), aglycone (MESH:C458179), Alkaloids (MESH:D000470), water (MESH:D014867), CCK-8 (MESH:D012844), Compound K (MESH:C112772), Re (MESH:D012211), glycan (MESH:D011134), PPD (MESH:C062916), Ginsenoside Rg1 (MESH:C035054), Ginsenosides (MESH:D036145), Rb (MESH:D012413), Flavonoids (MESH:D005419), ROS (MESH:D017382), saponins (MESH:D012503), Rh1 (MESH:C117776), lenvatinib (MESH:C531958), PPT (MESH:C081552), MTT (MESH:C070243), PEG-Ginsenoside Rh1 (-), cisplatin (MESH:D002945)
- **Species:** Panax ginseng (Asiatic ginseng, species) [taxon 4054], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Danio rerio (leopard danio, species) [taxon 7955]
- **Cell lines:** MCF-7 — Homo sapiens (Human), Invasive breast carcinoma of no special type, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0031), AGS — Homo sapiens (Human), Gastric adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0139), A549 — Homo sapiens (Human), Lung adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0023), HepG2 — Homo sapiens (Human), Hepatoblastoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0027), HeLa — Homo sapiens (Human), Human papillomavirus-related endocervical adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0030), SKOV3 — Homo sapiens (Human), Ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0532), HeLa cervical cancer — Homo sapiens (Human), Human papillomavirus-related endocervical adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_JX14), BT474 — Homo sapiens (Human), Invasive breast carcinoma of no special type, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0179), U373MG — Homo sapiens (Human), Astrocytoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_2818), HCC1428 — Homo sapiens (Human), Breast adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_1252), U87MG — Homo sapiens (Human), Glioblastoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0022), SW620 — Homo sapiens (Human), Colon adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0547), SW480 — Homo sapiens (Human), Colon adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0546), MDA-MB-231 — Homo sapiens (Human), Breast adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0062), SKBR3 — Homo sapiens (Human), Breast adenocarcinoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0033)

## Full text

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## Figures

6 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12939157/full.md

## References

91 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12939157/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12939157