The predominant pathogen in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which results in a chronic lung infection associated with progressive pulmonary insufficiency. In a rat model of chronic P. aeruginosa pneumonia mimicking that in patients with CF, we studied whether the inflammation and antibody responses could be changed by treatment with the Chinese herbal medicine ginseng. An aqueous extract of ginseng was injected subcutaneously, and cortisone and saline were used as controls. Two weeks after challenge with P. aeruginosa, the ginseng-treated group showed a significantly improved bacterial clearance from the lungs (P < 0.04), less severe lung pathology (P = 0.05), lower lung abscess incidence (P < 0.01), and fewer mast cell numbers in the lung foci (P < 0.005). Furthermore, lower total immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels (P < 0.01) and higher IgG2a levels (P < 0.025) in serum against P. aeruginosa sonicate and a shift from an acute type to a chronic type of lung inflammation compared to those in the control and cortisone-treated groups were observed. These findings indicate that ginseng treatment of an experimental P. aeruginosa pneumonia in rats promotes a cellular response resembling a TH1-like response. On the basis of these results it is suggested that ginseng may have the potential to be a promising natural medicine, in conjunction with other forms of treatment, for CF patients with chronic P. aeruginosa lung infection.

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The involvement of sulphated glycosaminoglycans in atherosclerotic changes have been studied in human and rat arteries, and biochemical experiments have revealed that a significant increase in the contents of chondroitin sulphate/dermatan sulphate and cholesterol, but loss of heparan sulphate, occurs in human atherosclerotic arterial tissues. Electron micrographs have revealed that extracellular deposits of lipid are predominantly present in areas rich in chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans but not in areas rich in collagen bundles and dermatan sulphate proteoglycans. The different types of proteoglycans have been distinguished in situ by the cuprolinic blue staining method and enzymatic degradation experiments, and their topohistochemical distribution patterns analysed by morphometry of proteoglycan/cuprolinic blue precipitates. The ultracytochemical investigations indicate changes in size and pattern of chondroitin sulphate-rich proteoglycan-cuprolinic blue precipitates in human atherosclerosis. In plaque tissue, these precipitates are significantly enlarged. In addition, they accumulate around smooth muscle cells in the medial tissue. An increase in the size of proteoglycan-cuprolinic blue precipitates has also been observed in balloon catheter-induced lesions in rat carotid arteries. The large chondroitin sulphate as well as the small dermatan sulphate proteoglycan-cuprolinic blue precipitates show this alteration 2 weeks after balloon injury. We suggest that quantitative and qualitative alterations in the arterial proteoglycans occur in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in addition to the cell proliferation and lipid accumulation.

In an athymic rat model of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection mimicking cystic fibrosis (CF), we studied the effects of the Chinese herb ginseng. Rats were treated subcutaneously with ginseng extracts (25 mg/kg) once a day for 10 days after challenge with P. aeruginosa embedded in alginate beads. We found that ginseng treatment significantly reduced bacterial load (p<0.02) and the number of mast cells in the lungs (p<0.01). Furthermore, it decreased the severity of lung pathology (p<0.02) and lowered serum anti‐P. aeruginosa IgM and IgA antibody levels (p<0.004, p<0.04) compared to the control group. The down‐regulated specific humoral immunity in the ginseng‐treated group and the fact that athymic rats have a severely compromised T‐cell‐mediated immune reactivity due to the absence of thymus might suggest an activation of innate immunity after ginseng treatment. Our findings indicate that ginseng treatment increases the resistance of the athymic rats to P. aeruginosa lung infection. We therefore think that ginseng has promising potential as a natural medicine for stimulation of the immune system in CF patients with chronic P. aeruginosa lung infections.