Ginsenoside Rh2 mediates changes in the microRNA expression profile of human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer insensitive to chemotherapy. Efforts are, therefore, directed toward understanding the molecular mechanisms of chemotherapy insensitivity and the development of new anticancer drugs. Ginsenoside Rh2, one of the components in ginseng saponin, has been shown to have anti-proliferative effect on human NSCLC cells and is being studied as a therapeutic drug for NSCLC. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that play a key role in cancer progression and prevention. However, the miRNA portrait of ginsenoside Rh2-treated NSCLC cells has not yet been studied. In this study, we identified a unique set of changes in the miRNA expression profile in response to Rh2 treatment in the human NSCLC cell line A549. Using miRNA microarray analysis, we identified 44 and 24 miRNAs displaying changes in expression greater than 2-fold in Rh2-treated A549 cells. In addition, using an miRNA target prediction program, we discovered that these miRNAs are predicted to have several target genes related to angiogenesis, apoptosis, chromatic modification, cell proliferation and differentiation. Thus, these results may assist in the better understanding of the anticancer mechanism of Rh2 in NSCLC.