title: The protective effects of ginsenoside Rg1 against hypertension target-organ damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although a number of medicines are available for the management of hypertension, the organ damage induced by hypertension is not resolved. The aim of this study was to investigate the protection of ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) against vascular remodeling and organ damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Male SHR were treated with 5, 10 or 20 mg/kg Rg1 through intraperitoneal injection per day for 1 month. SHR or Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) receiving vehicle (saline) was used as control. Blood pressure detection and pathological stain, transmission electron microscope, immunohistochemical assay were used to elucidate the protection of Rg1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood pressures were not different between control SHR rats and Rg1 treated SHR rats, but Rg1 improved the aortic outward remodeling by lowering the lumen diameter and reducing the media thickness according the histopathological and ultrastructural detections. Rg1 also protected the retinal vessels against inward remodeling detected by immunohistochemical assay. Furthermore, Rg1 attenuated the target heart and kidney damage with improvement on cardiac and glomerular structure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggested that Rg1 held beneficial effects on vascular structure and further protected against the organ-damage induced by hypertension. These findings also paved a novel and promising approach to the treatment of hypertensive complications.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Yanpin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Fukang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.forename: Defang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yufan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Sha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wanying
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shuhong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Baohong
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D036145:Ginsenosides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009928:Organ Specificity; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D036145:Ginsenosides; D020011:Protective Agents; C035054:ginsenoside Rg1