Protective effect of ginsenoside against acute renal failure and expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in the locus coeruleus

Ginseng attenuates fipronil-induced hepatorenal toxicity via its antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory activities in rats

Fipronil (FPN) is a relatively new and broad spectrum insecticide that induces toxic effects to animals and humans through induction of oxidative stress. Ginseng is a medicinal plant that has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activities. Thus, the current study was conducted to evaluate the anti-toxic potential of ginseng aqueous extract (GAE) against FPN-induced hepatorenal toxicity in rats. Thirty-two male Wistar albino rats were randomly allocated into four equal groups. Rats of the control group received distilled water. The second group was administrated with GAE at a dose of 200 mg/kg b.w. orally day by day for 6 weeks. The third group was intoxicated with FPN at a dose of 4.85 mg/kg b.w. orally day by day for 6 weeks. The fourth group was administrated with GAE 2 h before FPN intoxication. Intoxication of rats with FPN significantly elevated the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase and serum levels of urea and creatinine, as well as increased malondialdehyde level and protein expressions of caspase-3 and cyclooxygenase-2 in hepatic and renal tissues. However, it significantly decreased hepatic and renal GSH content and catalase activity. In addition, it induced histopathological alterations in hepatic and renal tissue architectures. Conversely, concomitant oral administration of GAE ameliorated the FPN-induced biochemical, pathological, and histochemical alterations in both hepatic and renal tissues. This study indicated that ginseng attenuates FPN-induced hepatorenal toxicity, possibly via its antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Graphical Abstract CAL ABSTRACTPHIRAG.

Ginsenoside protects against AKI via activation of HIF‑1α and VEGF‑A in the kidney‑brain axis

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is characterized by abrupt kidney dysfunction. It results in remote organ dysfunction, including the brain. The underlying mechanism of the kidney‑brain axis in AKI and effective protective approaches remain unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the potential protective effect of ginsenoside (GS) on AKI induced by glycerol in rats. Kidney function was initially assessed by blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cre) tests, and was identified to be severely impaired following glycerol treatment, based on significant increases in BUN and Cre levels observed. Severe extensive necrosis of the majority of the renal tubules was observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, additionally confirming that glycerol induced AKI. GS was identified to ameliorate the impairment of kidney function in the context of AKI. Further investigation of the mechanism revealed that GS may induce protection against oxidative stress via a kidney‑brain axis. Furthermore, GS improved the activation of hypoxia‑inducible factor 1α (HIF‑1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF‑A) in the hypothalamus response to AKI, and in the kidney tissues. The protective effect of GS in AKI may be associated with the interaction between the kidney and the brain. Taken together, these results suggested that GS was involved in the protective effects against AKI by decreasing oxidative damage to the kidney and brain, and by upregulating HIF‑1α and VEGF‑A levels in the kidney‑brain axis.

Natural medicines for acute renal failure: A review

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a life-threating disease with high mortality percentage. Two important mechanisms of ARF are inflammation and oxidative stress. Plants are rich source of antioxidant compounds and have a strong anti-inflammatory activity, so they may be useful for the treatment of ARF. Some herbal medicines are effective against different models of experimentally induced ARF such as cisplatin, gentamicin, glycerol, and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Some of these plants such as ginseng, black seed, ginger, garlic, grape, pomegranate, saffron, and green tea are so famous and are effective against various models of ARF. However, we found several articles examining the effectiveness of different plants for treating ARF. In the current article, we discussed plants and natural products that are effective in the treatment of ARF.

Ginsenoside-Rb1 ameliorates lithium-induced nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity: Differential regulation of COX-2/PGE2 pathway

To investigate the effect of Ginsenoside-Rb1 (GRb1) on lithium (Li⁺)-induced toxicity, GRb1 was given to rats orally (100mg/kg) for 14days. In independent groups, lithium chloride (4meq/kg/day i.p.) was administered at day 4 of the experiment for 10days, with or without GRb1. Li⁺ caused significant deterioration of behavioral responses including righting reflex, spontaneous motor activity and catalepsy. Li⁺ also caused distortion in normal renal, cerebral and cerebellum architecture and significantly worsened all kidney functional parameters tested compared to control. In addition, Li caused oxidative stress in both kidney and brain, evident by significant increase in malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels, with decrease in reduced glutathione and catalase activity. Administration of GRb1 prior to Li⁺ significantly improved behavioral responses, renal and brain histopathological picture, kidney function tests and oxidative stress markers compared to sole Li⁺-treated group. Concomitant administration of GRb1 decreased Li⁺ levels by about 50% in serum, urine and brain and by 35% in the kidney. Interestingly, Li⁺ had a differential effect on cyclooxygenase (COX)-2/prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) pathway, as it significantly increased COX-2 expression and PGE₂ level in the kidney, while decreasing them in the brain compared to control. On the other hand, administering GRb1 with Li⁺ suppressed COX-2/PGE₂ pathway in both kidney and brain compared to Li⁺ alone. In conclusion, GRb1 can alter Li⁺ pharmacokinetics resulting in extensively decreasing its serum and tissue concentrations. Furthermore, COX-2/PGE₂ pathway has a mechanistic role in the nephro- and neuro-protective effects of GRb1 against Li⁺-induced toxicity.

Renoprotective effect of red ginseng in gentamicin-induced acute kidney injury

Aminoglycoside-induced nephrotoxicity is one of the prevalent causes of acute kidney injury (AKI). Oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis of renal tubular cells is known to be a major mechanism of renal injury. Red ginseng extract (RGE) has been reported to possess antioxidant and immune-modulatory activities. We investigated the effect of RGE on gentamicin (GM)-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress in cultured renal tubular cells and animal model of GM-induced AKI. GM induced the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with an increase in NADPH oxidase (NOX) activity and mitochondrial oxidation in NRK-52E cells that were ameliorated with RGE. GM-induced apoptosis of NRK-52E cells, which was associated with an increased expression of mitochondrial Bax, cytosolic cytochrome c, and cleaved caspase-9 and -3, along with a decrease in bcl-2 expression, was also blocked by RGE. In an animal model of GM-induced AKI, RGE treatment significantly attenuated renal dysfunction, cell apoptosis, and tubular damage. RGE ameliorated ROS production in rats with GM-induced AKI, as demonstrated by an increase in the reduced form of glutathione in renal cortex and a decrease in urinary excretion of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine. Our results suggest that RGE protects the kidney from GM-induced AKI via the mechanism of modulation of oxidative stress.

Heat-processed Panax ginseng and diabetic renal damage: active components and action mechanism

Diabetic nephropathy is one of the serious complications in patients with either type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus but current treatments remain unsatisfactory. Results of clinical research studies demonstrate that Panax ginseng can help adjust blood pressure and reduce blood sugar and may be advantageous in the treatment of tuberculosis and kidney damage in people with diabetes. The heat-processing method to strengthen the efficacy of P. ginseng has been well-defined based on a long history of ethnopharmacological evidence. The protective effects of P. ginseng on pathological conditions and renal damage associated with diabetic nephropathy in the animal models were markedly improved by heat-processing. The concentrations of less-polar ginsenosides (20(S)-Rg3, 20(R)-Rg3, Rg5, and Rk1) and maltol in P. ginseng were significantly increased in a heat-processing temperature-dependent manner. Based on researches in animal models of diabetes, ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 and maltol were evaluated to have therapeutic potential against diabetic renal damage. These effects were achieved through the inhibition of inflammatory pathway activated by oxidative stress and advanced glycation endproducts. These findings indicate that ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 and maltol are important bioactive constituents of heat-processed ginseng in the control of pathological conditions associated with diabetic nephropathy.

Protective effect of ginsenoside against acute renal failure via reduction of renal oxidative stress and enhanced expression of ChAT in the proximal convoluted tubule and ERK1/2 in the paraventricular nuclei

Generation of reactive oxygen species significantly contributes to the pathogenesis of acute renal failure (ARF) induced by myoglobin release. Ginsenosides (GS), the principal active ingredients of ginseng, is considered as an extremely good antioxidative composition of Chinese traditional and herbal drugs. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of ginsenoside in rats with ARF on the changes of cholinergic nervous system in the kidney as well as on the involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in the hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei (PVN). In our assay, glycerol-induced acute renal failure in rats was employed to study the protective effects of ginsenoside. Our results indicated that the treatment of ARF rats with ginsenosides for 48 h significantly reduced lipid peroxidation, restored the superoxide dismutase (SOD) level. Meanwhile, the obvious increase of choline acetyltransferase-immunoreactivity (ChAT-IR) in the proximal convoluted tubular cells (PCT) was observed by immunohistochemistry in ARF+GS group. The same effect was also observed in the changes of p-ERK1/2-IR in the hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei. Our results suggest that ginsenoside administered orally may have a strong renal protective effect against glycerol-induced ARF, reduce the renal oxidative stress, and ginsenoside can also activate the cholinergic system in PCT, simultaneously MAPK signal pathway in the PVN was also activated.

Trends in ginseng research in 2010

A total of 470 papers directly related to research on the Panax species were retrieved by performing internet searches with the keywords Panax and ginseng as the search terms. The publications were categorized as follows: 399 research articles, 30 reviews, 30 meeting abstracts, 7 proceedings, and 4 letters. The majority of these publications were published by scientists from Korea (35.7%), China (32.3%), and the USA (11.3%). Scientists from a total of 29 nations were actively involved in conducting ginseng research. A total of 43.6% of the publications were categorized as pharmacodynamic studies. The effects of ginseng on cerebrovascular function and cancer were the two most common topics considered in the pharmacodynamic studies. More than half of the ginseng studies assessed the use of P. ginseng. A total of 23 countries participated in studies specifically related to P. ginseng, and more than 80% of these studies originated from Korea and China. A total of 50 topics within the pharmacodynamics category were examined in association with the use of P. ginseng.

Protective and therapeutic effects of licorice in rats with acute tubular necrosis

OBJECTIVES

Various protective and therapeutic effects such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antihistaminic, and antibacterial effects have been depicted for licorice. However, its biological effects in the kidney are still not clear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the efficiency of licorice in rats with gentamicin (GM)-induced acute tubular necrosis.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Rats were randomized into the control group (only saline for 12 days), licorice group (licorice for 12 days), GM group (GM for 12 days), GM + licorice group, and licorice-treated GM group (licorice for 12 days after taking GM for 12 days). Blood urea, creatinine, and uric acid levels were measured and histopathological analyses of the kidneys were performed. The oxidative side of oxidant-antioxidant balance was evaluated by detecting lipid peroxidation (LPO) and total peroxide levels, and antioxidative side was determined by measuring total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in plasma and kidney tissues.

RESULTS

The oxidant-antioxidant balance seemed to be shifted to the oxidative side in the GM group when compared with the control and GM + licorice groups. In GM group, biochemical profiles showed a remarkable increase in blood uric acid, urea, and creatinine levels, and depletion of renal tissue and plasma TAC and GSH levels. In addition, histopathologic studies revealed severe acute tubular necrosis, congestion, and hyaline casts, verifying GM-induced nephrotoxicity. Licorice was effective in reduction of blood urea, creatinine, and uric acid levels, and also effective in decreasing the tubular necrosis score. Licorice treatment also significantly reduced LPO and total peroxide levels, and increased TAC and GSH levels in both renal tissue and blood. Moreover, these changes in rats subjected to the combined therapy (GM + licorice) were significantly less than those of GM group.

CONCLUSIONS

Licorice ameliorates GM-induced nephrotoxicity and oxidative damage by scavenging oxygen free radicals, decreasing LPO, and improving antioxidant defense.

Effect of fermented Panax ginseng extract (GINST) on oxidative stress and antioxidant activities in major organs of aged rats

The intracellular levels of oxidant and antioxidant balances are gradually distorted during the aging process. An age associated elevation of oxidative stress occurring throughout the lifetime is hypothesized to be the major cause of aging. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the putative antioxidant activity of the fermented Panax ginseng extract (GINST) on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status of major organs of aged rats compared to young rats. Increased levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea and creatinine were observed in the serum of aged rats. Increased levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and significantly lowered activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were observed in the liver, kidneys, heart and lungs of aged rats, when compared with those in young rats. Quantitative analysis of the non-enzymatic antioxidants such as reduced glutathione (GSH), ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol levels showed significantly lower values in the liver, kidneys, heart and lungs of aged rats. On the other hand, administration of the fermented Panax ginseng extract (GINST) to aged rats resulted in increased activities of SOD, CAT, GPx, GR and GST as well as elevation in GSH, ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol levels. Besides, the level of MDA, AST, ALT, urea and creatinine were reduced on administration of GINST to aged rats. These results suggested that treatment of GINST can improve the antioxidant status during aging, thereby minimizing the oxidative stress and occurrence of age-related disorders associated with free radicals.