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      A review on the medicinal potentials of ginseng and ginsenosides on cardiovascular diseases

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          Abstract

          Ginseng is widely used for its promising healing and restorative properties as well as for its possible tonic effect in traditional medicine. Nowadays, many studies focus on purified individual ginsenoside, an important constituent in ginseng, and study its specific mechanism of action instead of whole-plant extracts on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Of the various ginsenosides, purified ginsenosides such as Rb1, Rg1, Rg3, Rh1, Re, and Rd are the most frequently studied. Although there are many reports on the molecular mechanisms and medical applications of ginsenosides in the treatment of CVDs, many concerns exist in their application. This review discusses current works on the countless pharmacological functions and the potential benefits of ginseng in the area of CVDs. Results: Both in vitro and in vivo results indicate that ginseng has potentially positive effects on heart disease through its various properties including antioxidation, reduced platelet adhesion, vasomotor regulation, improving lipid profiles, and influencing various ion channels. To date, approximately 40 ginsenosides have been identified, and each has a different mechanism of action owing to the differences in chemical structure. This review aims to present comprehensive information on the traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of ginseng, especially in the control of hypertension and cardiovascular function. In addition, the review also provides an insight into the opportunities for future research and development on the biological activities of ginseng.

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          Most cited references88

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          Ginseng pharmacology: multiple constituents and multiple actions.

          Ginseng is a highly valued herb in the Far East and has gained popularity in the West during the last decade. There is extensive literature on the beneficial effects of ginseng and its constituents. The major active components of ginseng are ginsenosides, a diverse group of steroidal saponins, which demonstrate the ability to target a myriad of tissues, producing an array of pharmacological responses. However, many mechanisms of ginsenoside activity still remain unknown. Since ginsenosides and other constituents of ginseng produce effects that are different from one another, and a single ginsenoside initiates multiple actions in the same tissue, the overall pharmacology of ginseng is complex. The ability of ginsenosides to independently target multireceptor systems at the plasma membrane, as well as to activate intracellular steroid receptors, may explain some pharmacological effects. This commentary aims to review selected effects of ginseng and ginsenosides and describe their possible modes of action. Structural variability of ginsenosides, structural and functional relationship to steroids, and potential targets of action are discussed.
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            Ginseng compounds: an update on their molecular mechanisms and medical applications.

            Ginseng is one of the most widely used herbal medicines and is reported to have a wide range of therapeutic and pharmacological applications. Ginsenosides, the major pharmacologically active ingredients of ginseng, appear to be responsible for most of the activities of ginseng including vasorelaxation, antioxidation, anti-inflammation and anti-cancer. Approximately 40 ginsenoside compounds have been identified. Researchers now focus on using purified individual ginsenoside to reveal the specific mechanism of functions of ginseng instead of using whole ginseng root extracts. Individual ginsenosides may have different effects in pharmacology and mechanisms due to their different chemical structures. Among them the most commonly studied ginsenosides are Rb1, Rg1, Rg3, Re, Rd and Rh1. The molecular mechanisms and medical applications of ginsenosides have attracted much attention and hundreds of papers have been published in the last few years. The general purpose of this update is to provide information of recently described effects of ginsenosides on antioxidation, vascular system, signal transduction pathways and interaction with receptors. Their therapeutic applications in animal models and humans as well as the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of ginsenosides are also discussed in this review. This review concludes with some thoughts for future directions in the further development of ginseng compounds as effective therapeutic agents.
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              The expression of the adhesion molecules ICAM-1, VCAM-1, PECAM, and E-selectin in human atherosclerosis.

              The expression of PECAM, ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and E-selectin was studied in 64 samples of human coronary arteries taken from 15 explanted hearts obtained within 5 min of transplantation. Normal artery (n = 12), predominantly fibrous plaques (n = 23), and plaques containing extracellular lipid (n = 26) and three segments showing recanalization channels were studied. All endothelial cells strongly and equally expressed PECAM; positive staining was used to check that artefactual denudation of the endothelial surface had not occurred. PECAM was also present in some lipid-filled macrophages. Normal arteries showed no VCAM-1 staining but focal segments of the endothelium were positive for ICAM-1 and E-selectin. ICAM-1 was strongly and constantly expressed by the endothelium over all types of plaques and in macrophages. E-selectin expression was confined to endothelial cells and occurred on the surface in 35 per cent of fibrous and 22 per cent of lipid-containing plaques. VCAM-1 staining of surface endothelium occurred in 39 per cent of fibrous and 20 per cent of lipid-containing plaques. A population of spindle-shaped cells of macrophage type (positive for EMB11 antigen) expressed VCAM-1 in lipid-containing plaques. Adventitial vessels adjacent to plaques showed endothelial expression of ICAM-1 and E-selectin. VCAM-1 staining of adventitial vessel endothelium was associated with local lymphoid aggregation. In conclusion, the expression of cell adhesion molecules is an important element in the inflammatory component of atherosclerosis and contributes to both monocyte and lymphocyte activation and recruitment from adventitial vessels and the arterial lumen.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                J Ginseng Res
                Journal of Ginseng Research
                1226-8453
                2093-4947
                3 April 2014
                3 April 2014
                July 2014
                : 38
                : 3
                : 161-166
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
                [2 ]Department of Veterinary Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Biosafety Research Institute, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Korea
                Author notes
                []Corresponding author. Department of Veterinary Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Biosafety Research Institute, Chonbuk National University, 664-14, 1ga, Duckjin-dong, Duckjin-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-Do 561-756, Korea. jhkim1@ 123456chonbuk.ac.kr
                Article
                S1226-8453(14)00049-9
                10.1016/j.jgr.2014.03.001
                4213864
                25378989
                3bb134db-ba1c-4e11-8556-de6a442f81d4
                © 2014 The Korean Society of Ginseng. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0).

                History
                : 6 January 2014
                : 12 March 2014
                : 18 March 2014
                Categories
                Review Article

                antioxidant effect,cardiovascular diseases,lipid profile,myocardial protection,vasomotor tone

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