Ginsenoside Re inhibits vascular neointimal hyperplasia in balloon-injured carotid arteries through activating the eNOS/NO/cGMP pathway in rats

Publication date: October 2018Source: Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Volume 106Author(s): Yang Gao, Chen-Ying Gao, Ping Zhu, Shang-Fu Xu, Yun-Mei Luo, Jiang Deng, Dan-Li YangAbstractGinsenoside Re (GS-Re) is one of the main ingredients of ginseng, a widely known Chinese traditional medicine, and has a variety of beneficial effects, including vasorelaxation, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. The aims of the present study were to observe the effect of GS-Re on balloon injury-induced neointimal hyperplasia in the arteries and to investigate the mechanisms underlying this effect. A rat vascular neointimal hyperplasia model was generated by rubbing the endothelium of the common carotid artery (CCA) with a balloon, and GS-Re (12.5, 25 or 50 mg/kg/d) were subsequently continuously administered to the rats by gavage for 14 days. After GS-Re treatment, the vessel lumen of injured vessels showed significant increases in the GS-Re 25.0 and 50.0 mg/kg/d (intermediate- and high-dose) groups according to H.E. staining. Additionally, a reduced percentage of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells and an increased number of SM α-actin-positive cells were detected, and the levels of NO, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), and eNOS mRNA as well as the phos-eNOSser1177/eNOS protein ratio were obviously upregulated in the intermediate- and high-dose groups. Moreover, the promotive effects of GS-Re on NO and eNOS expression were blocked by L-NAM...

Source: Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy - July 18, 2018 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research