In vive and in vitro cardioprotective effects of panax quinquefolium 20(S)-protopanaxadiol saponins (PQDS), isolated from panax quinquefolium.

In this study, we investigated the cardioprotective effect of Panax quinquefolium 20(S)-protopanaxadiol saponins (PQDS) both in vivo and in vitro. An animal model of acute myocardial infarction was induced by permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery in Sparague Dawley rats. Neonatal rat cardiomycocytes were used to examine the cytoprotective effect of PQDS against H202 exposure. Pretreatment with PQDS (25 and 50 mg/kg) could significantly improve the heart function, remarkably decrease infarct size from 20.87% to 14.87% (p<0.01), decrease the levels of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) content in serum (p< 0.05). Meanwhile, pretreatment with PQDS (25 and 50 mg/kg) significantly increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the heart, and decreased the level of malondiadehyde (MDA) in the myocardium (p<0.05). Histopathological results demonstrated the same protective effect of PQDS. Pretreatment with PQDS (200 and 400 microg/ml) prior to H202 exposure could increase cell viability of neonatal rat cardiomycocytes. Pretreatment PQDS (200 and 400 microg/ml) also increased the activity of SOD, decreased level of LDH in the cultured supernatant and the MDA level in cardiomyocytes. These results indicated that PQDS had a cardioprotective effect proven in vivo and in vitro. The mechanisms might be due to its scavenging lipid peroxidation products, increasing endogenous antioxidant defense enzymes.