There is a potential role of collagenase-3 in alveolar bone loss and periodontal disease progression, we need to develope or find chemotherapeutic drugs or herbal agents which may regulate the expression of MMP-13. Ginseng saponin, one of the major components of Korea ginseng(panax ginseng) root, has many various biologic effects, such as cytotoxic effect, tumoricidal effects, cytokine regulations, and protein biosynthesis effect. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Korea red ginseng saponin on MMP-13 gene expression in osteoblasts.

The experimental groups were cultured with ginseng saponin in concentration of 1.0, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500µg/ml for MTT assay. Primary rat calvarial cells were pre-treated for 1 hour with ginseng saponin(100 µg/ml) and then stimulated with IL-1β(1.0ng/ml) and PTH (10 nM). MMP-13 gene expression was evaluated by RT-PCR.

The results were as follows:

Ginseng saponin was cytotoxic to osteoblast at concentration exceeding 250µg/ml for longer than 24 hours in tissue culture(p<0.01). In RT-PCR analysis, steady state MMP-13 mRNA levels were increased approximately 350% by IL-1β, and 400% by PTH when normalized to untreated control. IL-1β-indued MMP-13 mRNA expression was reduced 50% by pre-treatment with ginseng saponin. But ginseng saponin didn't inhibit MMP-13 expression from PTH stimulated cells.

This results suggest that ginseng saponin inhibit IL-1β-indued MMP-13 mRNA expression.