Protective effect of ginsenoside on lung reperfusion injury in rabbits

Objective To explore the protective effect of ginsenoside on lung reperfusion injury and lung preservation in a isolated lung reperfusion model. Methods Twenty rabbits were randomly divided into two groups. In control group, the lungs were flushed and preserved with low potassium dextran solution(LPD) containing PGE1, and in treated group, 0.08 mg/ml ginsenoside were added. The lungs were preserved at 4 ℃ for 12 h and reperfused with whole blood for pulmonary functional assessment. During reperfusion, PVR and PO2 were measured. After reperfusion, the content of lung water, nitric oxide(NO), superoxide dismutase(SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined. The lung apoptotic cells were stained by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling(TUNEL) technique. Light microscopic and ultrastructural changes were also examined. Results The PVR and LW were significantly lower in treated group than in control group. The PO2 was much higher in treated group than in control group. The content of NO and SOD in treated group were significantly higher than in control group but the content of MDA was adverse. The apoptosis index(AI) of lung cells was markedly reduced in treated group than in control group. The morphologic and ultrastructural damages in treated group were significantly milder than in control group. Conclusion Ginsenoside can attenuate the lung ischemic reperfusion injury, and improve the protective effect on the preservative lung.