Congcong Zhang¹, Lixiao Ye², Haizhen Jin³, Meiping Zhao¹, Mengxiao Zheng¹, Longsheng Song⁴, Wantie Wang¹

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¹ Department of Pathophysiology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
² Department of the Intensive Care Unit, Wenzhou People’s Hospital, Wenzhou, China.
³ Wenzhou Central Hospital, Wenzhou, China.
⁴ Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, USA.
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Abstract: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious disease which is characterized by increased vascular resistance and pressure. We have previously hypothesized that panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) might attenuate pulmonary vasoconstriction under hypoxia and hypercapnia condition. This study aims to investigate the effect of notoginsenoside R_g1, a main ingredient of PNS, with various concentrations (8, 40, 100 mg/L, respectively) on extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK1/2) signaling pathway in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). In addition, PASMCs were randomly divided into six groups: SD rat under normoxic condition as control group (N group), hypoxia hypercapnia group (H group), DMSO control group (HD group), R_g1-treatment groups (R_gLR_gM and R_gH group). Western-blot and RT-PCR were used to test the expression of p-ERK protein and the expression of ERK1 mRNA and ERK2 mRNA. This study provided the evidence that the expression of p-ERK protein and the expression of ERK1 mRNA and ERK2 mRNA in HD group and H group were obviously higher than that in N group (P < 0.01), Whereas the level of ERK1/2 mRNA in R_g1-treatment groups was significantly lower than that in HD group and H group (P < 0.01), and the proper concentration of R_g1 is 40 mg/L. These results suggested that notoginsenoside R_g1 can attenuate pulmonary vasoconstriction which may lead to HHPV through reducing the expression of ERK1/2.

Keywords: Pulmonary Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells, Hypoxia Hypercapnia, ERK1/2 Signal Pathway, Notoginsenoside R_g1, Rats

Cite this paper: Zhang, C. , Ye, L. , Jin, H. , Zhao, M. , Zheng, M. , Song, L. and Wang, W. (2016) Different Concentrations of Notoginsenoside Rg1 Attenuate Hypoxic and Hypercapnia Pulmonary Hypertension by Reducing the Expression of ERK in Rat PASMCs. Advances in Biological Chemistry, 6, 12-18. doi: 10.4236/abc.2016.61002.

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