Stimulation of p-aminohippurate transport in renal cortical slices prepared from rats treated with ginsenosides.

The effect of treatment of rats with ginsenosides (extracted from Panax ginseng) on transport of p-aminohippurate (PAH) in renal cortical slices was studied for an in vitro reflection of PAH secretion in the proximal tubules in the kidney. The treatment of rats with ginsenosides stimulated PAH accumulation in the slices and tended to prevent the decrease in PAH accumulation in incubated slices from the rats with acute renal failure caused by cisplatin or ischemia followed by reperfusion. Ginsenoside treatment affected other biochemical responses in renal cortical slices, with a decrease in adenosine triphosphate level and an increase in potassium level. The latter may lead to the stimulation of PAH transport in the slices, but additional information on the cellular action of ginsenosides is needed for this conclusion. It may be that the stimulatory effect of ginsenosides on PAH accumulation in the slices counterbalances the decrease in PAH accumulation in the slices from rats with acute renal failure.