Recent discoveries have shown that venous diseases have a multifactorial etiology. One of the factors which is definitely involved in this pathologic process is the change in the concentration of
oxygen. An increase in the concentration of
oxygen,
hyperoxia, or reoxygenation following
hypoxia, damages the tissues by stepping up the production of
free radicals. In addition, a reduction in
oxygen concentration, or
hypoxia, is also damaging, probably through a reduction in
ATP synthesis. From a therapeutic standpoint, the veins, and more particularly the endothelium, must be protected against the impact on the tissue of these changes in
oxygen concentration. In this study, the effects of
Ginkor Fort were tested on cultured endothelial cells subjected to varying
oxygen pressures. The results show that
Ginkor Fort can provide good protection of endothelial cells against
hyperoxia and
hypoxia-reoxygenation. These beneficial effects are probably due to the presence of
flavonoids in the Ginko biloba extract; these
flavonoids have an
anti-oxidant effect. In addition, this substance also protects the cells against
hypoxia, possibly by increasing the availability of
oxygen for
ATP synthesis. This dual protective effect, which is produced by two different mechanisms, may account for the wide spectrum of
Ginkor Fort in its use in venous diseases.