Beneficial role of ginseng saponin on hemodynamic functions of porcine blood vessel

The previous reports have showed that ginseng saponins, which are the active ingredients of Panax ginseng, cause the relaxation of artery that are contracted due to a various of hormones or potassium (K⁺). Recently, we also showed that ginsenosides differentially regulate channel activity. The purpose of this study was to examine whether ginseng saponins affect contraction induced by K⁺, serotonin (5-HT), or acetylcholine (Ach) in porcine coronary vessel. Treatment with concentrations of ginseng saponins caused a relaxation of 25 mM KCl-induced porcine coronary artery contraction. Also, ginseng saponin induced a significant dose-dependent relaxation of 3 μM 5-HT-induced porcine coronary artery with the endothelium. In the porcine artery with the endothelium, ginseng saponins induced a relaxation by 3 μM 5-HT in a concentration-dependent pattern. Ginseng saponins induced relaxation of both 25 mM KCl-and 3 μM 5-HT-induced coronary artery contraction in the absence and presence of the endothelium. In contrast, treatment with 100 μg/mL ginseng saponin did not induce relaxation in coronary artery contraction induced by Ach (0.01 μM to 30 μM) in the presence of the endothelium, but did cause significant relaxation of coronary artery contractions by Ach (0.01 μM to 30 μM) in the absence of the endothelium. These findings indicate that ginseng saponin (>100 μg/mL) significantly inhibits porcine coronary artery contractions caused by K⁺, 5-HT, and Ach. Therefore, in this study, we demonstrated that ginseng saponin may show beneficial roles on abnormal coronary contraction.