Ginsenosides Rg1 and CK Control Temozolomide Resistance in Glioblastoma Cells by Modulating Cholesterol Efflux and Lipid Raft Distribution

Runze Qiu; Jingjing Zhang; Chun Ge; Yue Zhong; Suo Liu; Qingquan Li; Jianjun Zou; Hongwei Fan; Yingbin Li

doi:10.1155/2022/1897508

Ginsenosides Rg1 and CK Control Temozolomide Resistance in Glioblastoma Cells by Modulating Cholesterol Efflux and Lipid Raft Distribution

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022 Oct 10:2022:1897508. doi: 10.1155/2022/1897508. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Runze Qiu^#¹, Jingjing Zhang^#¹, Chun Ge^{1

2}, Yue Zhong³, Suo Liu², Qingquan Li⁴, Jianjun Zou^{1

2}, Hongwei Fan^{1

2}, Yingbin Li⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Pharmacology Lab, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210006, China.
² Department of Pharmacy, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
³ Center of Drug Discovery, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
⁴ Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210011, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Cholesterol efflux and lipid raft redistribution contribute to attenuating temozolomide resistance of glioblastoma. Ginsenosides are demonstrated to modify cholesterol metabolism and lipid raft distribution, and the brain distribution and central nervous effects of whose isoforms Rb1, Rg1, Rg3, and CK have been identified. This study aimed to reveal the role of Rb1, Rg1, Rg3, and CK in the drug resistance of glioblastoma.

Methods: The effects of ginsenosides on cholesterol metabolism in temozolomide-resistant U251 glioblastoma cells were evaluated by cholesterol content and efflux assay, confocal laser, qRT-PCR, and Western blot. The roles of cholesterol and ginsenosides in temozolomide resistance were studied by CCK-8, flow cytometry, and Western blot, and the mechanism of ginsenosides attenuating resistance was confirmed by inhibitors.

Results: Cholesterol protected the survival of resistant U251 cells from temozolomide stress and upregulated multidrug resistance protein (MDR)1, which localizes in lipid rafts. Resistant cells tended to store cholesterol intracellularly, with limited cholesterol efflux and LXRα expression to maintain the distribution of lipid rafts. Ginsenosides Rb1, Rg1, Rg3, and CK reduced intracellular cholesterol and promoted cholesterol efflux in resistant cells, causing lipid rafts to accumulate in specific regions of the membrane. Rg1 and CK also upregulated LXRα expression and increased the cytotoxicity of temozolomide in the presence of cholesterol. We further found that cholesterol efflux induction, lipid raft redistribution, and temozolomide sensitization by Rg1 and CK were induced by stimulating LXRα.

Conclusions: Ginsenosides Rg1 and CK controlled temozolomide resistance in glioblastoma cells by regulating cholesterol metabolism, which are potential synergists for temozolomide therapy.