Panax ginseng reduces oxidative stress and restores antioxidant capacity in aged rats Thiyagarajan Ramesh a , Sung-Won Kim a , Seock-Yeon Hwang b , Sang-Hyun Sohn a , Sung-Kwang Yoo a , Si-Kwan Kim a, ⁎ a Department of Life Science, College of Biomedical and Health Science, Institute of Biomedical and Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju-si 380-701, Korea b Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science College of Applied Science and Industry, Daejeon University, Daejeon-si, Korea ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Received 7 May 2012 Revised 24 June 2012 Accepted 7 August 2012 Nutritional antioxidants interact with cells in an active mode, including retrieving and sparing one another, to diminish oxidative stress. However, the intracellular balance of prooxidants and antioxidants becomes unbalanced, favoring prooxidants during the aging process. One hypothesis is that an aging-associated increase in oxidative stress is the primary cause of aging. Hence, the research hypothesis for this study is that Korean red ginseng reduces oxidative stress in vivo. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy of Korean red ginseng water extract (GWE) in reducing aging-associated oxidative stress by measuring lipid peroxidation and antioxidant levels in older rats compared with young rats. We observed a significant increase in the markers for oxidative damage (eg, lipid peroxidation) and markers for vital organ damage (eg, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, urea, and creatinine levels) in aged rats. The oxidative damage was accompanied by a significant decrease in enzymatic antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione-S-transferase, and nonenzymatic antioxidants such as reduced glutathione, vitamin E, and vitamin C. Aged rats fed a diet supplemented with Korean red ginseng water extract had significantly less oxidative damage, possibly by enhancing the enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants status. Our data suggest that consumption of Korean red ginseng reduces lipid peroxidation and restores antioxidant capacity by suppressing oxidative stress in rats. © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Antioxidants Panax ginseng nutrients Aging Oxidative stress Lipid peroxidation Rats 1. Introduction Panax ginseng (P ginseng), one of the best health foods for vitality and combating fatigue, increases energy and elimi- nates chronic fatigue while improving health. Ginseng has been used as a tonic in traditional Oriental medicine for more than 2000 years; it is well known as an energy booster and dietary supplement in Korea, China, Japan, and other Asian countries. For example, Korean red ginseng (KRG), in particular, is well documented as a natural health food. It is NUTRITION RESEARCH 32 (2012) 718 – 726 Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; CAT, catalase; CDNB, 1- chloro-2,4-dinitro benzene; GPx, glutathione peroxidase; GR, glutathione reductase; GSH, reduced glutathione; GST, glutathione-S- transferase; GWE, Korean red ginseng water extract; KRG, Korean red ginseng; MDA, malondialdehyde; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SOD, superoxide dismutase. ⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 43 480 3574; fax: +82 43 840 3872. E-mail address: skkim@kku.ac.kr (S.-K. Kim). 0271-5317/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2012.08.005 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com www.nrjournal.com