title: Korean red ginseng protects against neuronal damage induced by transient focal ischemia in rats.
abstract: In the present study, we investigated the neuroprotective effect of Korean red ginseng (KRG) following focal brain ischemia/reperfusion injury, in relation to its antioxidant activities. The middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) model in rats was employed. The KRG extract (100 mg/kg, perorally) was administered once daily for 7 days following MCAO/R. The elevated levels of lipid peroxidation in the MCAO/R group were attenuated significantly in the KRG-administered group. The significantly depleted activity of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase was prevented in the KRG-administered group. In the neurobehavioral evaluation expressed as the modified neurological severity score and corner-turn test, the daily intake of KRG showed consistent and significant improvement in the neurological deficits for 7 days following MCAO/R injury. These results indicate that KRG has a neuroprotective effect against ischemia/reperfusion brain injury by reducing the level of lipid peroxidation and increasing the endogenous antioxidant enzymatic activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, College of Dentistry, Dankook University, Cheonan;
authors.forename: Ju Yeon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ban
authors.forename: Sung Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jong Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joo-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Young Gwan
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Han Sung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Choi