Anti-cardiac hypertrophic effect of ginsenoside Rg_1

AIM:To investigate the inhibitory effect of ginsenoside Rg1 on left ventricular hypertrophy induced by abdominal aorta coarctation in rats.METHODS:SD rats were randomly divided into five groups,four groups of them were accepted an operation of abdominal aorta coarctation to elicit left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH),the other one was sham operation group.Rg1(3.75,15 mg/kg)or L-arginine(L-arg,200 mg/kg)were administered to rats in three of those four groups respectively except model group.Three weeks after operation,Rg1 or L-arg was administered for 4 weeks.At the end of administration,the hemodynamics of the rats was detected by BL-420E system,and the LVH index(left ventricular weight/body weight)and left ventricular weight/right ventricular weight(LVW/RVW)were used as hypertrophic parameters;the expressions of atrial natriuretic factors(ANF)and calcineurin(CaN)mRNA were determined by iCycler iQ Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction(Real-Time PCR).RESULTS:Compared with those in sham operation group,the blood pressure,the left ventricular systolic pressure,left ventricular end-diastolic pressure,LVH index and LVW/RVW were significantly increased,but the ±dp/dtmax was significantly decreased,and the ANF and CaN mRNA expressions were remarkably up-regulated in model group.Rg1(3.75,15 mg/kg)and L-arg(200 mg/kg)had no influence on the blood pressure and the left ventricular systolic pressure,but could significantly decrease the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and increase the ±dp/dtmax,LVH index and LVW/RVW,reduce the ANF and CaN mRNA expressions.CONCLUSION:Rg1 has an inhibitory effect on the left ventricular hypertrophy induced by overload pressure in rats,which may be,in partly,mediated by its inhibitory effect on CaN signaling pathway.