Activity of ginsenoside Rh on the growth of mice splenic lymphocytes investigated by microcalorimetry and factor analysis.

The power-time curves of mice splenic lymphocytes growth at 37 °C affected by ginsenoside Rh were determined by microcalorimetry using a 3114/3236 TAM air bioactivity monitor with ampoule mode. Then, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Rh on splenic lymphocytes growth was determined by serial dilution method. From factor analysis (FA) on six quantitative thermokinetic parameters from the power-time curves, the activity of Rh on splenic lymphocytes could be quickly evaluated by analyzing the changes in the two main parameters: growth rate constant k, and maximum heat-output power, P. The results showed that Rh had strong inhibitory activity on splenic lymphocytes growth, and this inhibitory activity was strengthened with increasing concentration of Rh in the concentration range of 1.0-32.0 μg mL. This strong inhibitory also could be confirmed from the MIC of 50.0 μg mL of Rh on splenic lymphocytes growth in RPMI-1640 culture medium. This study illustrated that microcalorimetry could not only offer a useful method for evaluating the activity of drugs, but also serve as a quantitative, sensitive, and simple analytic tool for the evaluation of drugs on cell growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]