Ginsenoside Rg3 suppresses the growth of gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells by upregulating lncRNA-CASC2 and activating PTEN signaling

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most fatal malignancies with high mortality. Gemcitabine (GEM)-based chemotherapy is the most important treatment. However, the development of GEM resistance leads to chemotherapy failure. Previous studies demonstrated the anticancer activity of ginsenoside Rg3 in a variety of carcinomas through modulating multiple signaling pathways. In the present study, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry apoptosis assay, Western blotting assay, xenograft experiment, and immunohistochemistry assay were performed in GEM-resistant pancreatic cancer cell lines. Ginsenoside Rg3 inhibited the viability of GEM-resistant pancreatic cancer cells in a time-dependent and concentration-dependent manner through induction of apoptosis. The level of long noncoding RNA cancer susceptibility candidate 2 (CASC2) and PTEN expression was upregulated by the ginsenoside Rg3 treatment, and CASC2/PTEN signaling was involved in the ginsenoside Rg3-induced cell growth suppression and apoptosis in GEM-resistant pancreatic cancer cells. Ginsenoside Rg3 could be an effective anticancer agent for chemoresistant pancreatic cancer.