Korean red ginseng attenuates hypercholesterolemia-enhanced platelet aggregation through suppression of diacylglycerol liberation in high-cholesterol-diet-fed rabbits

• Published in: Phytotherapy research Vol. 22; no. 6; pp. 778 - 783
• Main Authors: Hwang, Seock-Yeon, Son, Dong Ju, Kim, Il-Woong, Kim, Dong-Man, Sohn, Sang-Hyun, Lee, Jung-Jin, Kim, Si-Kwan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.06.2008; Wiley
• Subjects: 1,2‐diacylglycerol; 2-diacylglycerol; Animals; arachidonic acid; Arachidonic Acid - metabolism; atherosclerosis; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Platelets - drug effects; Blood Platelets - metabolism; Cholesterol, Dietary - administration & dosage; Diglycerides - metabolism; General pharmacology; Ginsenosides - analysis; Ginsenosides - metabolism; hypercholesterolemia; Hypercholesterolemia - blood; Hypercholesterolemia - chemically induced; Korea; Korean red ginseng; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Male; Medical sciences; Panax - chemistry; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phospholipids - metabolism; platelet aggregation; Platelet Aggregation - drug effects; Rabbits; Korea; Diacylglycerol; Rabbit; Cardiovascular disease; Lipids; Hyperlipoproteinemia; Lipoprotein; Arachidonic acid; Panax ginseng; Medicinal plant; platelet aggregation; Vascular disease; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Atherosclerosis; Dyslipemia; Araliaceae; Pharmacognosy; Polyunsaturated fatty acid; Metabolic diseases; Lagomorpha; Cholesterol; Glyceride; Protein; Feeding; Vertebrata; Platelet; 1,2-diacylglycerol; Mammalia; Hypercholesterolemia; Diet; Korean red ginseng; Animal; Plant origin; Spermatophyta; Ginseng
• ISSN: 0951-418X; 1099-1573
• DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2363

Intake of Korean red ginseng (KRG, ginseng Radix rubra), rich in glycosylated saponins (ginsenosides), has been known to inhibit platelet aggregation in the normocholesterolemic condition. However, it is unclear whether KRG can attenuate hypercholesterolemia-enhanced platelet aggregation. This study examined whether the daily consumption of a KRG-water extract (WE) could prevent the hypercholesterolemia-enhanced platelet aggregation and progression of hypercholesterolemic atherosclerosis. KRG-WE administration (200 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks potently inhibited the platelet aggregation induced by low doses of agonists (0.5 μg/mL collagen and 0.025 unit/mL thrombin), whereas it weakly reduced the blood-cholesterol levels and formation of atheromatous lesions. In further investigation, KRG-WE significantly suppressed collagen-induced 1,2-diacylglycerol liberation, but had no significant effect on arachidonic acid liberation. Taken together, it can be suggested that the antiplatelet effect of KRG-WE may, at least partly, be due to the inhibition of 1,2-diacylglycerol generation rather than regulation of blood lipid levels. In conclusion, daily consumption of KRG-WE could be a useful alternative measure for the prevention of thrombus and atheroma formation in hypercholesterolemia. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.