OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of panax quinquefolius saponin(PQS) on blood glucose, blood lipid and insulin sensitivity in patients of coronary heart disease (CHD) with blood glucose abnormality (BGA).

METHODSEighty-four patients of CHD with BGA, namely CHD patients with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), were randomly assigned to the PQS group (43 cases) and the control group (41 cases), all were treated with routine Western medicine, but to patients in the PQS group PQS was given orally for 4 successive weeks in addition. Levels of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were detected both before and after treatment, and insulin sensitive index (ISI) as well as the insulin resistance index and function of beta cells of homostasis model (Homa-IR and Homa-beta) were calculated accordingly.

RESULTSAfter treatment, FPG decreased predominantly in both groups (P < 0.01), and the decrement in the PQS group showed a greater trend (25.80 +/- 12.72) % vs (20.89 +/- 12.17) %, but with no statistical significance; no obvious change in levels of FINS, ISI and Homa-IR was found in two groups (P > 0.05). Homa-beta value, which showed insignificantly difference before treatment, increased markedly in the PQS group after treatment from 3.48 +/- 0.76 to 4.19 +/- 0.79 (P < 0.01), which was higher obviously than the unchanged value of Homa-beta in the control group (3.82 +/- 0.77, P < 0.05). There was also decreasing of TC and LDL-C levels after treatment in the PQS group (P < 0.05), and the TC level in the PQS group (1.17 +/- 0.54) mmol/L was significantly lower than that in the control group [(1.42 +/- 0.49) mmol/L, P < 0.05) after treatment.

CONCLUSIONCompared with using it alone, routine Western medicine treatment, by combining with PQS showed superiority in lowering FPG, could significantly decrease the levels of TC and LDL-C, and might improve the beta-cell function in patients of CHD with BGA. It showed no effect on insulin sensitivity of patients, in spite of in combining or not with PQS.