Effect of Korean Ginseng on the Isolated Rabbit Corpus Cavernosal Smooth Muscle

고려인삼의 토끼 음경 해면체 평활근에 대한 작용

Rabbit corpus cavernosal smooth muscle strips submaximally precontracted with phenylephrine (5$\times$$10^6$ M) and treated with increasing concentrations of Korean ginseng (1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 mg/ml) showed tension decrease concentration-dependently (1 mg/ml: 1.7%, 5 mg/ml: 10.2%, 10 mg/ml: 22.7%, 20 mg/ml: 44.0%, 30 mg/ml: 65.2%, 40 mg/ml: 95.6%). Relaxations to Korean ginseng were inhibited significantly by endothelial disruption, by pretreatment with methylene blue, pyrogallol, L-NNA and atropine. Pretreatment of the muscle strips with ginseng caused concentration-related inhibition of a phenylephrine induced contraction, and in calcium-free high potassium depolarizing solution, decreased basal tension as well as inhibited contraction induced by Caclr. Korean ginseng also produced the reduction of responses to depolarizing medium(50, 40, 60 mM KCI). With these results we can confirm the relaxation effect of ginseng at a dose dependent on the cavernosal smooth muscle and suggest that its action is mediated by multiple action mechanisms that include increasing the release of nitric oxide from the corporal sinusoids. Increasing intracellular calcium sequestration, and a hyperpolarizating action.