Protective effects of phenolic acid extract from ginseng on vascular endothelial cell injury induced by palmitate via activation of PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway

Elevated free fatty acids may impair insulin-mediated signaling to eNOS that contributes to the pathophysiology of endothelial dysfunction. Previous studies have indicated the protective effect of ginseng and the regulatory potential of phenolic acid components from other plants on endothelial function. Therefore, this study investigated the protective effects of phenolic acid extract from ginseng (PG2) on endothelial cells against palmitate-induced damage. We found that PG2 increases cell viability, inhibits the palmitate-induced intracellular accumulation of lipids, and the overexpression of endothelin-1 (ET-1) through enhancing the phosphorylation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (PI3K/Akt/eNOS) signaling pathway. The results of this study may be valuable for the development of PG2 to combat the endothelial cell damage caused by hyperlipidemia. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: We proved that phenolic acid extract from ginseng has a protective effect on free fatty acid-induced endothelial dysfunction in vitro. This study provides experimental data for the application of ginseng-derived phenolic acids in treating cardiovascular disease.