Ginsenoside Rd mitigates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury via Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway

Ginsenoside Rd (GsRd) reportedly protects the heart against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Nrf2/HO-1 signaling plays a key role in attenuating oxidative stress. However, it remains unclear whether GsRd protects against myocardial I/R injury via Nrf2/HO-1 signaling. This study aimed to investigate the role of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling in the cardioprotective effect of GsRd. Rats received 30 min ischemia followed by 2 h reperfusion. Cardiac function, infarct size and serum CK, LDH, cTnI levels were detected. The expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 was detected by western blot. The results suggested that GsRd attenuated myocardial I/R injury as evidenced by improved cardiac function, decreased infarct size and decreased levels of serum CK, LDH and cTnI. In addition, GsRd administration enhanced the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1. In conclusion, the present study shows that GsRd protects against myocardial I/R injury via Nrf2/HO-1 signaling.