Experimental study of ginsenoside Rg3 in the treatment of acute radiation proctitis in rat models

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of ginsenoside Rg3(GRg3) in the treatment of acute radiation proctitis in rat models. Methods On the 7th day after 21.5 Gy irradiation, 100 rats were divided into the control group (normal saline, n=20), GRg3 group (gavage of 20 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg and 80 mg/kg GRg3, n=20 for each dose) and Smecta mixture enema group (n=20). After 2 weeks, all rats were anesthetized with chloral hydrate (3 ml/kg) and approximately 5 ml of blood sample was collected from the abdominal aorta prior to sacrifice. The rectal tissues were taken and prepared for detection of Bax and NF-κB contents and HE staining to observe the pathological changes of the rectal tissues. After the blood samples were centrifuged, the supernatants were collected for ELISA to detect the serum levels of IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α and MPO in each group. Results In the GRg3 group, the serum inflammatory cytokines, serum MPO concentration and the concentration of Bax and NF-κB in the intestinal tissues of rats were decreased along with the increasing dose of GRg3. These parameters in the high-dose GRg3 group were significantly lower than those in the saline group (all P 0.05), suggesting that GRg3 exerted good therapeutic effect on acute radiation proctitis in rat models. Conclusions GRg3 can significantly reduce the concentration of inflammatory cytokines, Bax and NF-κB in the intestinal tissues of rat models with acute radiation proctitis, which is more efficacious than the normal saline. GRg3 can be used to treat acute radiation proctitis in rat models. Key words: Ginsenoside Rg3; Acute radiation proctitis; Rat