OBJECTIVETo study the protective effect of panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) injury induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) for investigating the mechanism of PNS in treating arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO).

METHODSTaking the cultured HUVECs as target cells, ox-LDL was used to establish a model of injured HUVEC and it was then intervened by PNS. The morphologic changes of HUVEC were observed under light microscope; activity of cells was determined by MTT method; the adhesive percentage between ox-LDL treated HUVEC and monocyte detennined by protein quantification and the protein expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) determined by flow cytometry.

RESULTSAt the time points of HUVEC being treated with ox-LDL (100 mg/L) for 12 h and 24 h, significant injury of HUVEC was shown, its activity reduced, the adhesion rate with monocytes elevated, and the protein expression of ICAM-l in HUVEC increased significantly (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). PNS showed significant effect in reversing all the above changes, as compared with the control group (without PNS treaded), respective significant difference was shown in all the four indexes (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONPNS has a protective effect on endothelial cells injury induced by ox-LDL,which may be one of its mechanisms in treating ASO. The protective effect of PNS is probably by way of down-regulating the expression of ICAM-1 in endothelial cells and inhibiting the adherence of monocytes to endothelial cells.