Ginseng Reverses Established Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy and Postmyocardial Infarction-Induced Hypertrophy and Heart Failure

Background—A major challenge in the treatment of heart failure is the ability to reverse already-established myocardial remodeling and ventricular dysfunction, with few available pharmacological agents prescribed for the management of heart failure having demonstrated successful reversal of the remodeling and hypertrophic processes. North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) has previously been shown to effectively prevent cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and heart failure. Here, we determined whether North American ginseng can reverse established cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in cultured myocytes as well as hypertrophy and left ventricular dysfunction in experimental heart failure secondary to coronary artery occlusion. Methods and Results—Ginseng was administered in drinking water (0.9 g/L) ad libitum to rats after 4 weeks of sustained coronary artery ligation when heart failure was established or to angiotensin II- (100 nmol/L), endothelin-1- (10 nmol/L), or phenylephrine- (10 µmol/L) induced hypertrophic cultu...