본 연구에서는 산삼 배양근이 NO 생성과 NO와 연관된 생리활성에 미치는 효과에 대해 조사하였다. ECV304 세포에 산삼 배양근 열수 추출물(WE) 혹은 부탄올 추출물의 수용액 분획물(ABE)를 처리하게 되면 상당량의 NO가 발생하는 것을 확인하였다. 추출물에 의한 ECV304 세포 내 endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS)의 발현 양 변화는 거의 없었으며 100${mu}g$의 ABE에 의해 약 6%의 ACE 억제 효과가 관찰되었다. 동맥 혈관에서의 혈관이완 효과는 WE는 2.5 mg/ml일 때 44.8%의 이완율을 나타낸 것에 비해 ABE는 0.1 mg/ml일때 91.3%의 혈관 이완율을 보였다. 선청성 고혈압 쥐인 SHR에서의 단 회 경구투여 시 혈장강화 효과는, 8시간 경과 후 최저혈압(154.5${pm}$8.6 mmHg)을 보였고, 24시간이 지나면 초기 수준으로 회복되는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.
Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent antihypertensive and vasodilator which plays an important role in regulating vascular tones. In this study, we investigated the effects of adventitious root extracts of wild ginseng on NO production and NO linked physiological activities. When human endothelial cell line (ECV304) was incubated with either water extracts of wild ginseng adventitious root (WE) or aqueous fraction of butanol extracts of wild ginseng adventitious root (ABE), considerable amounts of NO were released by the cells. The level of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression was unchanged and about 6% of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) was inhibited with treatment of ABE. The vasodilating activities of pulmonary artery rings in response to different doses of extracts were shown as 44.8% and 91.3% in 2.5 mg/ml WE and 0.1 mg/ml ABE, respectively. The blood pressure lowering effect was observed from the oral administered spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) with the lowest blood pressure (154.5${pm}$8.6 mmHg) after 8 h. The blood pressure was recovered to the initial level after 24 h.
