It has been reported that red ginseng acidic
polysaccharide (
RGAP), isolated from Korean red ginseng, displays immunostimulatory and anti-
tumor activities. In a follow-up study, we have carried out a study on the anti-hyperlipidemic effects of
RGAP using hyperlipidemic rats acutely induced by Triton WR1339 or
corn oil intravenously injected.
Oral administration of
RGAP (100 to 1000 mg/kg) dose-dependently reduced the serum levels of
triglyceride (TG) up-regulated by Triton WR1339, an inducer of endogenous model
hyperlipidemia. Moreover,
RGAP treatment was shown to significantly decrease the levels of non-
esterified fatty acid (
NEFA) concomitant with TG reduction. However, such reduction effects were not observed in cases of total
cholesterol (TC) and
phospholipid levels increased under the same conditions, although there was an inhibitory tendency. Similar suppressive patterns were also seen in hepatic parameters (total
lipids and TG) under the same conditions. The exogenous hyperlipidemic rat condition triggered by
corn oil also supported the anti-hyperlipidemic activity of
RGAP in serum and hepatic parameters of TG and
NEFA. Interestingly,
RGAP significantly enhanced the serum activity of
lipoprotein lipase, a key hydrolytic
enzyme of
lipid molecules in
lipoprotein, in a dose-dependent manner up to 80%, implying potential involvement of this
enzyme in lowering TG and
NEFA by
RGAP. Therefore, our data suggest that
RGAP may play an additional role in reducing hyperlipidemic conditions, which can be used as a valuable neutraceutical application for the treatment of
hyperlipidemia.