Shandong University Qilu Hospital Research Center for Cell Therapy, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Dec 18;144(3):782-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2012.09.046. Epub 2012 Oct 4.
ETHNOPHARMCOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ginseng, a folk medicine which has been used for thousands of years in Asia, has been promoted for the treatment or prevention of health problems including cardiovascular disease. However, the molecular mechanism of ginseng-induced cardiovascular protection is unclear. Thus, we investigated signaling mechanism by which American ginseng inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation, a key feature of diverse vascular disease.
A standardized crude extract of American ginseng was supplied by the National Research Council of Canada, Institute for National Measurement Standards. Rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) were exposed to fetal bovine serum (FBS), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), insulin, or angiotensin II (Ang II) to induce proliferation that was examined by measuring DNA synthesis and cell numbers. Western blot was applied to determine the activations of Jak, Stat, Akt, and ERK.
American ginseng inhibited RASMC proliferation induced by FBS, PDGF, insulin or Ang II. American ginseng slightly increased both basal and FBS-, PDGF- or Ang II-induced activities of Akt and ERK in RASMCs; however, it dramatically inhibited the activation of Jak2 and Stat3.
These results demonstrate that American ginseng inhibits VSMC proliferation through suppressing the Jak/Stat pathway.
民族药理学相关性：人参是一种在亚洲被使用了数千年的民间药物，被宣传用于治疗或预防包括心血管疾病在内的健康问题。然而，人参对心血管保护的分子机制尚不清楚。因此，我们研究了人参抑制血管平滑肌细胞（VSMC）增殖的信号机制，VSMC 增殖是多种血管疾病的一个关键特征。
加拿大国家研究委员会、国家测量标准研究所提供了一种美国人参的标准化粗提取物。用胎牛血清（FBS）、血小板衍生生长因子（PDGF）、胰岛素或血管紧张素 II（Ang II）孵育大鼠主动脉平滑肌细胞（RASMC），以诱导增殖，通过测量 DNA 合成和细胞数量来检测。应用 Western blot 测定 Jak、Stat、Akt 和 ERK 的激活。
人参抑制 FBS、PDGF、胰岛素或 Ang II 诱导的 RASMC 增殖。人参轻微增加了 RASMC 中基础和 FBS、PDGF 或 Ang II 诱导的 Akt 和 ERK 的活性；然而，它显著抑制了 Jak2 和 Stat3 的激活。
这些结果表明，人参通过抑制 Jak/Stat 通路抑制 VSMC 增殖。
