Experimental Studies on the Effect of Ginsenoside Rg1 Mixtures in an Isolated Rat Heart after Ischemic Arrest and Reperfusion

Kim, Dong Won; Shin, Won Sun; Lee, Jae Young; Kim, Bum Shik; Cho, Kyu Seok; You, Seh Young

Abstract

Panax Ginseng C.A. Meyer has been known for hundreds of years as the most valuable drug having mysterious effects among all the herbal medicines and plants in Korea. Also, many experimental studies have been performed recently that the various effects were identified and applied clinically. So we attempted an experimental study on the effect of ginsenoside Rg1 mixtures in an isolated rat heart with the use of the Langendorff model. The objective of this study was to determine whether this ginsenoside Rg1 mixtures would protect the myocardial injury after ischemic arrest and reperfusion. Isolated rat hearts were allowed to equilibrate for 20 minutes and were then subjected to 15 minutes of normothermic ischemia. After this ischemic period, isolated rat hearts were allowed to reperfusion for 10 minutes (Ischemic Group). In other group , isolated rat hearts were perfused for 60 minutes continuously with normothermia (Normothermic Group). Hemodynamic and biochemical parameters such as heart rate, left ventricular pressure, +dp/dt max, coronary blood flow and cardiac enzymes were measured during initial perfusion, ischemia, reperfusion period (Ischemic group) and 20, 40 and 60 minutes after continuous perfusion (Normothermic group). After completion of the experiment, this data was evaluated and the following results were obtained. 1. Heart rates showed an increase in both ischemic and normothermic experimental groups, but statistically significant differences were not identified. 2. LVP (Left Ventricular Pressure) showed statistically significant differences in both ischemic and normothermic experimental groups (p<0.005, p<0.01). 3. +dp/dt max showed statistically significant differences in both ischemic and normothermic experimental groups (p<0.01, p<0.01). 4. There were no statistically significant differences in coronary blood flow and cardiac cenzymes in all groups, but experimental groups seemed to have better protection and recovery. These results suggest that ginsenoside Rg1 mixtures has a protective effect on the myocardial injury after ischemia and reperfusion.