Effect of Korean red ginseng on blood pressure and nitric oxide production

AIM: To investigate the effect of crude saponin and non-saponin fraction of Korean red ginseng (KRG) on the blood pressure and nitric oxide (NO) produ ction in the conscious rats and cultured endothelial cell line, ECV 304 cel ls. METHODS: Systolic blood pressure and heart rate were monitored in the c onscious rats. Nitric oxide levels and the expression of nitric oxide synth ase were measured by a spectrophotometric assay using Griess reagents and W estern blotting, respectively. Nitric-oxide synthase activity was measured based on the conversion rate of [H-3]arginine to [H-3]citrulline. RESULTS: Systolic blood pressure was decreased by crude saponin (100 mg/kg, iv) of K RG in the conscious control and one-kidney, one-clip Goldblatt hypertensive (1K, 1C-GBH) rats. The hypotensive effect induced by crude saponin of KRG reached maximum at 2 - 4 min and slowly recovered after 20 min to the initi al level in both groups. Crude saponin of KRG induced tachycardia in the co nscious rats but induced bradycardia in the anesthetized rats. In contrast to crude saponin of KRG, hypotensive effect induced by saponin-free fractio n was minimal. Nitric oxide concentrations were increased by the treatment of crude saponin in conscious rats as well as in the cultured ECV 304 cells . The protein expression level of endothelial constitutive nitric-oxide syn thase (eNOS) in the aorta of rats was not increased by crude saponin (100 m g/kg, ip for 3 d). However, nitric-oxide synthase activity was increased by crude saponin of KRG in the aortic homogenate of rats. CONCLUSION: The hyp otensive effect of red ginseng is mainly due to saponin fraction of KRG in the conscious rats, and this effect may be due to an increase in the nitric -oxide production by KRG.