Inhibitory effects of ginseng on proliferation of cultured mouse mesangial cells

To evaluate the pharmacological action of ginseng, its effects on the proliferative activity of mesangial cells, which are thought to play an important role in the regulation of renal function, were determined in terms of [3H]thymidine uptake. When the extract was added to the medium of mesangial cell cultures, it suppressed the proliferation of mesangial cells, and similar proliferation-inhibitory activity was found in the total saponin and ginsenoside-Rd fractions, consistent with the renal effects observed in our previous in vivo studies. The inhibition of mesangial cell proliferation by the extract can thus be explained by the action of ginsenoside-Rd.