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Ginsenoside Rb1 Preconditioning Protects Against Myocardial Infarction After Regional Ischemia and Reperfusion by Activation of Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase Signal Transduction

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Abstract

Background

Ginsenoside Rb1, a major bioactive component of Panax ginseng, bears various beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. This study investigated whether ginsenoside Rb1 preconditioning has protective effects on myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury and its potential mechanism.

Methods

Rats subjected to 45 min of myocardial ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion were assigned to the following groups: sham-operated, ischemia–reperfusion (I/R), ginsenoside Rb1+I/R, wortmannin(a specific PI3K inhibitor)+I/R, wortmannin drug vehicle (dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO), wortmannin+sham, ginsenoside Rb1+ wortmannin +I/R. Infarct size was assessed by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Plasma creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and troponin T levels were also measured. Akt phosphorylation expression was assessed by immunoblotting.

Results

Ginsenoside Rb1 preconditioning reduced infarct size compared with that in the I/R group: 30 ± 2.6% versus 51 ± 2.7% (p < 0.01). Ginsenoside Rb1 preconditioning also markedly reduced the plasma CK, CK-MB, LDH and troponin T levels in blood. Akt phosphorylation expression increased after ginsenoside Rb1 preconditioning. These effects of ginsenoside Rb1 preconditoning were significantly inhibited by wortmannin.

Conclusion

This is the first study to demonstrate that ginsenoside Rb1 preconditioning has protective effects on myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury, partly by mediating the activation of the PI3K pathway and phosphorylation of Akt.

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Acknowledgments

The present work was supported by research grants (the National Basic Research Program of China, 2005CB523305) to Dr. Wei-kang Wu from the National Science Council, China. We thank Dr. Wen Wang and Dr. Martha Dahlen for critical review of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, People’s Republic of China

    Zhi Wang

  2. Department of Pathophysiology, Institute of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, People’s Republic of China

    Zhi Wang, Wei-kang Wu & Hong-mei Tan

  3. School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China

    Min Li

  4. Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, People’s Republic of China

    Deng-feng Geng

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  1. Zhi Wang
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  2. Min Li
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Correspondence to Wei-kang Wu.

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Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (a.k.a. 973 Program) (No.2005CB523305).

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Wang, Z., Li, M., Wu, Wk. et al. Ginsenoside Rb1 Preconditioning Protects Against Myocardial Infarction After Regional Ischemia and Reperfusion by Activation of Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase Signal Transduction. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 22, 443–452 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10557-008-6129-4

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