Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer has been extensively used in the traditional oriental medicine as a restorative, tonic and prophylatac agent. This study was devised to develop a chemopreventive agent from panax ginseng to be able to suppress the genotoxicity and oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species, which are involved with cancer or aging. Ginseng petroleum ether extract (GPE) and one of its fraction, P2, showed an antioxidative effect on the lipid peroxidation of ethyl linoleate with Fenton's reagents and free radical scavenging effect to 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazil (DPPH) radical generation. They also showed the suppressive effect of H₂O₂ or KO₂ induced DNA damage by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE). Results from our study indicate that GPE and P2 are capable of protecting lipid peroxidation, and oxidative DNA damage. Therefore, GPE and P2 may be useful chemopreventive agents which are involved with cancer and aging.

• 허문영(강원대학교 약학대학) | Moon Young Heo