Abstract
The king of herbs, Panax ginseng, has been used widely as a therapeutic agent vis-à-vis its active pharmacological and physiological effects. Based on Chinese pharmacopeia Ben Cao Gang Mu and various pieces of literature, Panax ginseng was believed to exert active vascular protective effects through its antiobesity and anti-inflammation properties. We investigated the vascular protective effects of ginseng by administrating ginseng extracts to rats after the induction of diabetes. We found that Panax ginseng can restore diabetes-induced impaired vasorelaxation and can reduce serum triglyceride but not cholesterol level in the diabetic rats. The ginseng extracts also suppressed the expression of atherosclerosis-related genes and altered the expression of lipid-related genes. The results provide evidence that Panax ginseng improves vascular dysfunction induced by diabetes and the protective effects may possibly be due to the downregulation of atherosclerosis-related genes and altered lipid metabolism, which help to restore normal endothelium functions.
Highlights
Panax ginseng is one of the most commonly used Chinese medicine and research targets
The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the protective effects of Panax ginseng on diabetes mellitus, a pathological condition which links to endothelial dysfunctions, through investigating the physiological parameters such as blood glucose, blood cholesterol, insulin, and advanced glycation end product in diabetic rat models
The experimental rats were divided into seven groups: (1) normal control rats administered with water, (2) diabetic group of rats administered with water, (3) diabetic group administered with intraperitoneal injection of insulin, (4) diabetic group fed with PPT-type of ginseng (10 mg/kg/day), (5) diabetic group fed with PPT-type of ginseng (30 mg/kg/day), (6) diabetic group fed with PPDtype of ginseng (10 mg/kg/day), and (7) diabetic group fed with PPD-type of ginseng (30 mg/kg/day)
Summary
Panax ginseng is one of the most commonly used Chinese medicine and research targets. The major active components of Panax ginseng are ginsenosides which can be subdivided into three groups according to their basic structures: protopanaxadiol (PPD) type (e.g., Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Rg3, and Rh2), protopanaxatriol (PPT) type (e.g., Re, Rf, Rg1, Rg2, and Rh1), and oleanolic acid (e.g., Ro). A review by Karmazyn et al has found that the yearly ginseng-related publication has been increasing exponentially from 1950 to 2010. They reported that Panax ginseng played a protective role in the cardiovascular system [2]. This suggested the beneficial properties of ginseng on cardiovascular diseases in both experimental and clinical settings
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