Ginsenosides in hematopoietic homeostasis and hematological malignancies: context-dependent pharmacological effects and translational limitations
5 affiliations
- 1The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine)
- 2The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine
- 3The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
- 4The Third Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University
- 5Central Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine)
Abstract
Ginseng has long been used as a botanical drug in East Asian traditional medical systems, particularly in China and Korea, and as a food ingredient. Ginsenosides are specialized metabolites of Panax species with diverse pharmacological activities reported in experimental studies. Evidence regarding their effects in hematological contexts, however, is dispersed across studies using different materials, models, and exposure conditions. This Mini Review synthesizes findings from purified ginsenosides and chemically characterized saponin fractions, focusing on hematopoietic and immune regulation in non-malignant stress models and on malignant hematopoietic cell fate. In non-malignant models, selected metabolites and fractions were associated with reduced cellular injury and changes in peripheral blood, phenotypic, or colony-forming endpoints. In malignant models, effects on proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, autophagy, and drug transport were reported mainly in cell lines. Clinical evidence remains limited, while gaps in material standardization and pharmacologically relevant exposure constrain translation. By comparing non-malignant and malignant contexts, this review provides an integrated framework for interpreting heterogeneous findings and highlights how metabolite identity, experimental model, cellular context, and exposure may influence the reported effects.
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BibTeX
@article{gai2026ginsenosides,
title = {{Ginsenosides in hematopoietic homeostasis and hematological malignancies: context-dependent pharmacological effects and translational limitations}},
author = {Jinyu Gai and Bei Zhang and Xinyi Wan and Xiaoling Yu},
journal = {Frontiers in Pharmacology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fphar.2026.1988591},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1988591/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ginsenosides in hematopoietic homeostasis and hematological malignancies: context-dependent pharmacological effects and translational limitations
AU - Jinyu Gai
AU - Bei Zhang
AU - Xinyi Wan
AU - Xiaoling Yu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Frontiers in Pharmacology
DO - 10.3389/fphar.2026.1988591
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1988591/full
AB - Ginseng has long been used as a botanical drug in East Asian traditional medical systems, particularly in China and Korea, and as a food ingredient. Ginsenosides are specialized metabolites of Panax species with diverse pharmacological activities reported in experimental studies. Evidence regarding their effects in hematological contexts, however, is dispersed across studies using different materials, models, and exposure conditions. This Mini Review synthesizes findings from purified ginsenosides and chemically characterized saponin fractions, focusing on hematopoietic and immune regulation in non-malignant stress models and on malignant hematopoietic cell fate. In non-malignant models, selected metabolites and fractions were associated with reduced cellular injury and changes in peripheral blood, phenotypic, or colony-forming endpoints. In malignant models, effects on proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, autophagy, and drug transport were reported mainly in cell lines. Clinical evidence remains limited, while gaps in material standardization and pharmacologically relevant exposure constrain translation. By comparing non-malignant and malignant contexts, this review provides an integrated framework for interpreting heterogeneous findings and highlights how metabolite identity, experimental model, cellular context, and exposure may influence the reported effects.
SN - 1663-9812
ER -