The Anti-Cancer Effect of Ginsenoside Compound K (CK) Against Kidney and Colon Cancers by Suppressing PHLDA Gene Family- an In Silico and In Vitro Validation Research

Background: Ginsenoside-CK (G-CK), a bioactive molecule found in Korean Panax ginseng Meyer. According to recent studies, CK exhibits a broad range of pharmacological actions. In this study, we investigated the G-CK's anticancer efficacy using both in-silico and in-vitro approaches. Our investigation predicted that G-CK can suppress kidney and colon cancer by suppressing gene targets such as PHLDA1, PHLDA2, and PHLDA3. Materials & Methods: We performed in-silico investigation and G-CK exhibited a strong affinity for each of the three target proteins' binding sites. We used 150 ns of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to evaluate G-CK's stability, followed by cytotoxicity assays, RT-PCR, and qRT-PCR validation. Results: Based on its stable and favorable energies, G-CK demonstrated strong binding to the targets, as demonstrated by free energy calculations and MD simulations. Similarly, G-CK reduced the PHLDA gene family's (PHLDA1, PHLDA2, and PHLDA3) mRNA expression in A498, HT-29 cells at 10 μg/mL, as well as normal cells HEK-293 and RAW 264.7, without substantial cytotoxicity. Lastly, G-CK treatments resulted in a significant decrease in PHLDA gene family expression, confirmed by RT-PCR and qRT-PCR results. Conclusion: Thus, we can conclude that G-CK suppresses the expression of PHLDA gene family gene targets, hence regulating kidney and colon cancer.