Department of Microbiology, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul 130-701, Korea.
J Ginseng Res. 2011 Sep;35(3):352-9. doi: 10.5142/jgr.2011.35.3.352.
Korean red ginseng (KRG) is used worldwide as a popular traditional herbal medicine. KRG has shown beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and hypertension. Up-regulation of a cytoprotective protein, heme oxygenase (HO)-1, is considered to augment the cellular defense against various agents that may induce cytotoxic injury. In the present study, we demonstrate that KRG water extract induces HO-1 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and possible involvement of the anti-oxidant transcription factor nuclear factor-eythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). KRG-induced HO-1 expression was examined by western blots, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence staining. Specific silencing of Nrf2 genes with Nrf2-siRNA in HUVECs abolished HO-1 expression. In addition, the HO inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin blunted the preventive effect of KRG on H2O2-induced cell death, as demonstrated by terminal transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay. Taken together, these results suggest that KRG may exert a vasculoprotective effect through Nrf2- mediated HO-1 induction in human endothelial cell by inhibition of cell death.
高丽红参（KRG）作为一种流行的传统草药，在全球范围内被广泛使用。KRG 已显示出对心血管疾病的有益作用，如动脉粥样硬化、糖尿病和高血压。细胞保护性蛋白血红素加氧酶（HO）-1 的上调被认为增强了细胞对各种可能诱导细胞毒性损伤的物质的防御能力。在本研究中，我们证明 KRG 水提取物在人脐静脉内皮细胞（HUVEC）中诱导 HO-1 表达，并可能涉及抗氧化转录因子核因子-红细胞 2 相关因子 2（Nrf2）。通过 Western blot、逆转录聚合酶链反应和免疫荧光染色检查 KRG 诱导的 HO-1 表达。用 Nrf2-siRNA 特异性沉默 HUVEC 中的 Nrf2 基因可消除 HO-1 表达。此外，HO 抑制剂锌原卟啉 IX 可减弱 KRG 对 H2O2 诱导的细胞死亡的预防作用，如末端转移酶 dUTP 缺口末端标记测定所示。综上所述，这些结果表明，KRG 可能通过抑制细胞死亡，通过 Nrf2 介导的 HO-1 诱导，在人内皮细胞中发挥血管保护作用。
