The king of herbs, Panax ginseng, has been used widely as a therapeutic agent vis-a-vis its active pharmacological and physiological\r\neffects. Based on Chinese pharmacopeia Ben Cao Gang Mu and various pieces of literature, Panax ginseng was believed to exert\r\nactive vascular protective effects through its antiobesity and anti-inflammation properties.We investigated the vascular protective\r\neffects of ginseng by administrating ginseng extracts to rats after the induction of diabetes. We found that Panax ginseng can\r\nrestore diabetes-induced impaired vasorelaxation and can reduce serum triglyceride but not cholesterol level in the diabetic rats.\r\nTheginseng extracts also suppressed the expression of atherosclerosis-related genes and altered the expression of lipid-related genes.\r\nThe results provide evidence that Panax ginseng improves vascular dysfunction induced by diabetes and the protective effects may\r\npossibly be due to the downregulation of atherosclerosis-related genes and altered lipid metabolism, which help to restore normal\r\nendothelium functions.
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