Senescent astrocytes in aging brain express senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and link with increased brain aging and its related diseases. In order to determine whether ginsenosides ameliorate the astrocytic senescence in vitro, human astrocytic CRT cells and primary rat astrocytes were used in the present study. Ginsenosides Rg1, Re, Rb1 and Rg3 (5 μg/mL) could effectively prevent the astrocytic senescence induced by H₂O₂ exposure. However, these ginsenosides did not reverse the astrocytic senescence. Importantly, senescent astrocytes herein produce SASP. The expression of major components of SASP, IL-6 and IL-8, are greatly increased in senescent astrocytes. Ginsenoside Rg3 (10 μg/mL) effectively suppressed the expressions of IL-6 and IL-8, which is associated with regulations of NF-κB and p38MAPK activation. In addition, after incubation with Rg3, conditioned medium from senescent astrocytic CRT cells significantly decreased the ability to promote the proliferation of astrocytoma U373-MG, U87-MG and U251-MG cells compared with non-treated senescent samples. Similar patterns were confirmed in chemotherapy-induced glioblastoma senescent cells. The present study explored a potential candidate for amelioration of astrocytic senescence and SASP in brain aging, which provided a basis for developing strategies to reduce the dark side of senescence in normal or pathological aging process.
Keywords: SASP; astrocytic senescence; brain tumor; ginsenosides; inflammation.