title: [Clinical and experimental study of improving left ventricular diastolic function by total saponins of panax notoginseng].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of total saponins of Panax Notoginseng (TSPNS) on left ventricular diastolic function in patients with essential hypertension (EH) and possible mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Left ventricular diastolic function (peak E, peak A, E/A, A area fraction, E area fraction), left ventricular muscle mass index (LV-MI), intraerythrocytic calcium and calcium pump activity on erythrocytes membrance of 30 patients with EH before and after the combined treatment of captopril and TSPNS were measured. Captopril was used singly on 30 patients above mentioned that were also studied as self-control. Observation of TSPNS and normal saline was used on a matched control in treating SHR rats. WKY rats of similar age were also studied as normal control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Left ventricular diastolic function were improved markedly by TSPNS. The activity of calcium pump on membrance of sarcoplasmic reticulum were increased and the myocardial intracellular calcium were decreased and the left ventricular muscle mass were reduced after treatment of TSPNS. The calcium and calcium pump of erythrocyte showed marked simple correlation with myocardial cell.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TSPNS could improve myocardial relaxation function due to enhancing calcium pump activity and inhibiting intracellular calcium overload and lightening left ventricular muscle mass.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000201:enzymology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D036145:Ginsenosides; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D012503:Saponins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000187:drug effects*