• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.153-166
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• 2013

Yang deficiency pattern is a representative syndrome differentiation. This article is a study on to which categories of modern diseases yang deficiency is assigned by reference to modern clinical papers and the meaning of yang deficiency interpreted with a perspective of Korean Medicine and a modern perspective. Yang deficiency, yang qi deficiency, lack of yang qi and yang qi debilitation are the words found in "Nei Ching" and yang qi can be interpreted as something to warm, drive and arouse. Zhangzhongjing considered recovery or loss of Yang as the key to life in "Shanghanlun". Danxi proposed "Yang being liable to hyperactivity, Yin being insufficient" and emphasized pathological ministerial fire of Yang exuberance rather than physiological ministerial fire of Yang deficiency. Zhangjingyue proposed "Yang not being in excess, Yin being often deficient" and understood growth and decline of yin qi are all led by yang qi and put emphasis on true yin in addition to yang qi. Diseases of yang deficiency pattern are related with decline of metabolic level, hypofunction of internal secretion, disorder of immune function, disorder of automatic nerve system, sympathetic nerve inhibition, metabolic disorder of microelements, increase of cGMP, change of microcirculation, low speed of blood stream, kidney malfunction. Diseases related with kidney are sterility, polycystic ovary syndrome, spinal stenosis, edema, renal failure, IgA nephropathy, erectile dysfunction, nephritis, prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, decrease of adrenal cortical hormone by nephrotic syndrome, myelodysplastic syndrome. Disease related with heart are heart failure, arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, atherosclerosis heart disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, pulmonary heart disease. Diseases related with spleen are irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis. Diseases related with liver are hypothyroidism, liver cirrhosis ascites, hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis, hepatic diabetes. Diseases related with lung are allergic rhinitis, cough variant asthma, bronchial asthma, pulmonary emphysema. And diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, aplastic anemia, headache, encephalatrophy, Alzheimer's disease are also related with yang deficiency.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.261-271
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• 2017

It has been suggested that ginseng is beneficial for ameliorating the aging males' symptoms, such as weight gain, fatigue, erectile dysfunction, and depression, in elderly men with testosterone deficiency. We thus investigated the effects of Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer; Araliaceae) on obesity in a mouse model of testosterone deficiency (castrated C57BL/6J mice). The effects of ginseng extract (GE) and/or testosterone on obesity and adipogenesis in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed castrated C57BL/6J mice and 3T3-L1 adipocytes were examined using in vivo and in vitro approaches. After feeding mice a HFD for 8 weeks, we found that mice also receiving GE and/or testosterone showed decreased body weight, adipose tissue mass, adipocyte size, and hepatic lipid accumulation compared with untreated HFD-fed mice. Expression of adipogenic genes ($PPAR{\gamma}$, $C/EBP{\alpha}$, and aP2) was decreased by GE and/or testosterone in adipose tissues. Consistent with the in vivo data, lipid accumulation and the mRNA expression of adipogenesis genes in 3T3-L1 adipocytes were decreased by GE, ginsenosides, and testosterone. The inhibitory effects of GE (or ginsenosides) were comparable to those of testosterone, and the effects of co-treatment with GE (or ginsenosides) and testosterone were greater than those of testosterone alone in vivo and in vitro. Our results indicate that ginseng may be able to potentiate the inhibitory effects of testosterone on obesity and adipogenesis in HFD-fed castrated mice, providing possible therapeutic implications in men with testosterone deficiency.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.169-174
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and action mechanism of quercetin on penile corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (PCCSM). PCCSM precontracted with phenylephrine (Phe) was treated with four different concentrations of quercetin ($10^{-7}$, $10^{-6}$, $10^{-5}$ and $10^{-4}M$). PCCSM were preincubated with N-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) and 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) to block nitric oxide synthase and guanylate cyclase, respectively. The changes in PCCSM tension were recorded, and cyclic nucleotides in the perfusate were measured by radioimmunoassay. The interactions of quercetin with phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5-Is) such as sildenafil, udenafil and mirodenafil, were also evaluated. PCCSM relaxation induced by quercetin occurred in a concentrationdependent manner. The application of quercetin to PCCSM pre-treated with L-NAME and ODQ significantly inhibited the relaxation. Quercetin significantly increased cGMP in the perfusate. Furthermore, quercetin enhanced PDE5-Is-induced relaxation of PCCSM. Quercetin relaxed the PCCSM by activating the NO-cGMP signaling pathway, and it may be a therapeutic candidate or an alternative treatment for patients with erectile dysfunction who do not completely respond to PDE5-Is.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.257-262
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• 2015

It is well known that cigarette smoke can cause erectile dysfunction by affecting the penile vascular system. However, the exact effects of nicotine on the corpus cavernosum remains poorly understood. Nicotine has been reported to cause relaxation of the corpus cavernosum; it has also been reported to cause both contraction and relaxation. Therefore, high concentrations of nicotine were studied in strips from the rabbit corpus cavernosum to better understand its effects. The proximal penile corpus cavernosal strips from male rabbits weighing approximately 4 kg were used in organ bath studies. Nicotine in high concentrations ($10^{-5}{\sim}10^{-4}M$) produced dose-dependent contractions of the corpus cavernosal strips. The incubation with $10^{-5}M$ hexamethonium (nicotinic receptor antagonist) significantly inhibited the magnitude of the nicotine associated contractions. The nicotine-induced contractions were not only significantly inhibited by pretreatment with $10^{-5}M$ indomethacin (nonspecific cyclooxygenase inhibitor) and with $10^{-6}M$ NS-398 (selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor), but also with $10^{-6}M$ Y-27632 (Rho kinase inhibitor). Ozagrel (thromboxane $A_2$ synthase inhibitor) and SQ-29548 (highly selective TP receptor antagonist) pretreatments significantly reduced the nicotine-induced contractile amplitude of the strips. High concentrations of nicotine caused contraction of isolated rabbit corpus cavernosal strips. This contraction appeared to be mediated by activation of nicotinic receptors. Rho-kinase and cyclooxygenase pathways, especially cyclooxygenase-2 and thromboxane $A_2$, might play a pivotal role in the mechanism associated with nicotine-induced contraction of the rabbit corpus cavernosum.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.339-343
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• 1996

The effect of ginseng on the reactivity of penile corpus cavernosal smooth muscle strips of rabbits was investigated to support the clinical application of ginseng for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into two groups, normal diet group (n=9) and ginseng saponin diet group (n=5). Then, each group was fed normal diet and Korean red ginseng saponin diet (50 mg/kg/day) for 10 weeks. We measured concentration dependent relaxation of corporal smooth muscle to acetylcholine (10-8 M to 10-4M) in organ chamber. The degree of relaxation was expressed as percentage of maximal relaxation obtained by papaverine (10-4M). Dose dependent relaxation of corpus cavernosal smooth muscle to acetylcholine, at the concentration of 10-8 M to 10-4M by half log increment, was 4.06$\pm$0.00, 4.30$\pm$1.30, 5.32$\pm$0.68, 11.64$\pm$1.74, 16.24$\pm$1.61, 23.33$\pm$ 2.29, 26.45$\pm$2.25, 30.43$\pm$2.40 and 33.41 $\pm$2.48 (%), respectively in normal diet group and 9. 83$\pm$4.15, 20.60$\pm$4.62, 24.1815.12, 35.75$\pm$5.71, 43.35$\pm$6.11, 51.30$\pm$6.22, 56.33$\pm$6.22, 54.30$\pm$4.17 and 51.98$\pm$3.92 (Vc), respectively in ginseng group. These data suggest that ginseng enhances ondothelium-dependent acetylcholine-induced relaxation of penile corpus cal.ernosal smooth muscle in rabbits.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 1996

To investigate the effect of Korean red ginseng (KRG) on male sexual function and serum lipid level, the results of KRG treatments were compared to placebo group. A total of 35 patients with psychogenic impotence were assigned to medication group with KRG (n=28) and placebo (n=7). KRG and placebo were given to each group for 2 months. Changes in symptoms such as frequency of coitus, morning erection, penile rigidity and tumescence were significantly higher in the group receiving KRG than placebo group. The overall therapeutic efficacies on erectile function were 67% for KRG group and 28% for placebo group (p <0.05). In the group treated with 9 tablets of KRG, there was tendency of better efficacy as compared to the group treated with 6 tablets of KRG. The level of serum high density lipid- cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) was significantly elevated (p < 0.05) while the other serum lipid such as total cholesterol, tiglyceride and low density lipid-cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) , were not changed after administration of KRG. This effect was observed significantly in the group in which KRG exerted its effect on sexual function(p < 0.05). From the above results, the administration of Korean red ginseng has shown to have superior of facts as compared to the placebo. The tendency of good effect was increased when a large amount of KRG was administered. The mechanism of KRG in improving sexual function would be the result of elevating the level of geum HDL-cholesterol in impotent patients. The effect of KRG was produced when the level of cholesterol was high before starting KRG medication. Therefore, the effect of KRG could be observed more intensively when the patients have high serum cholesterol level.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.52-61
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• 2006

Background: Korean ginseng (KG) has been used as a general tonic, and for voiding dysfunction for a long time in oriental society. However, scientific basic studies on the use of KG, have been rare, especially for voiding and erectile dysfunction. This study was performed to investigate the effects of KG on voiding and erectile function by examining the effects of total saponin (TS) on the bladder, urethral and penile cavernosal smooth muscle. Materials and methods: To examine the effects of TS, NewZeland white rabbits were used to obtain tissue strips from the smooth muscle of the bladder, proximal urethra and corpus cavernosum. Adult Sprague Dawley rats were used to examine the changes in urodynamic findings and penile erection after administration of TS. Results: In proximal urethral strips, the rate of relaxation of the proximal urethra was increased from $9.0{\pm}2.9$ to $33.7{\pm}4.8%$ in a dose-dependent manner when the concentration of TS was added accumulatively from 0.25 mg/ml to 4.0 mg/ml (p<0.05). However, no significant response was observed in the bladder strips within these concentration ranges. For the corpus cavernosal strips, the rate of relaxation ranged from $5.8{\pm}2.1$ to $36.7{\pm}5.8%$, increasing in a dose-dependent manner when TS was increased from 1.0 mg/ml to 4.0 mg/ml (p<0.05). After administration of 0.1 ml of TS (32 mg/ml) in the rat, the bladder pressure was $37.5{\pm}8.5$ mmHg at $52.1{\pm}7.0$ sec. during isovolumetric bladder contraction, showing no significant differences from $35.7{\pm}7.8mmHg$ and $50.7{\pm}7.2$ sec, respectively, before treatment. However, when 0.1 ml of TS (32 mg/ml) was administered, the relative reduction of urethral pressure was $6.9{\pm}0.5mmHg$ at $62{\pm}7.5$ sec, which was significantly higher compared to $4.6{\pm}1.1mmHg$ at $45{\pm}10$ sec before treatment (p<0.05). For the cavernosal injection study, the change in intracavernosal pressure (${\Delta}ICP$) was examined after administering 0.1 ml of TS. The cumulative additions of TS at concentrations from 0.5 mg/ml to 32 mg/ml increased ${\Delta}ICP$ from $1.3{\pm}0.5$ to $21.3{\pm}7.8mmHg$ in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.05). The duration of tumescence was from $0.3{\pm}0.1$ to $5.2{\pm}0.2$ min, showing dose-dependent increase (p<0.05). Furthermore, the cumulative addition of TS at concentrations from 0.5 mg/ml upto 32 mg/ml did not cause any significant change in systemic blood pressure. Conclusion: These results suggest that ginseng improves voiding functions, which is mainly achieved by TS relaxing the proximal urethra, the most important part of the bladder outlet function. In addition, ginseng safely induced a penile erection hemodynamically by relaxing the corpus cavernosum.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10631-10636
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• 2015

Background: We aimed to investigate anxiety, depression and sexual satisfaction levels and the effects of depression and anxiety upon the sexual satisfaction of Turkish breast cancer patients and their partners. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from one hundred breast cancer patients and their partners, using three forms: one covering information about socio-demographic characteristics of the patients, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADs) and the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS). Results: The frequencies, avoidance and touch subscores were statistically significantly high in the patients. Among those with high anxiety scores, the frequency, communication, satisfaction, touch, and anorgasmic subscale scores of GRISS were found to be significantly high. Among the partners whose anxiety scores were high, only the premature ejaculation subscale was statistically significant. It was determined that for partners with higher depression scores, the communication, satisfaction, avoidance, premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction subscores of GRISS were statistically higher compared to partners with lower depression scores. Conclusions: Patients' quality of life may be increased by taking precautions to reduce their and their partners' psychosocial and psychosexual concerns.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.278-287
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• 2015

Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE-5 inhibitors) are used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. In recent years, a number of reports have been conducted on dietary supplements contaminated with PDE-5 analogues. In this study, 58 analogues of PDE-5 inhibitors were sorted into five groups: tadalafil, sildenafil, hongdenafil, vardenafil, and other analogues. These analogues were then evaluated using a liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) electrospray ionization mass method. Each compound has a unique fragmentation ion, which can be easily analyzed qualitatively. The fragmentation pathways of the analogues were elucidated based on the QTOF-MS and MS/MS data. Common ions were confirmed for each group by analyzing the structural characteristics and fragmentation pathways. Specifically, common ions were observed at m/z 169.08 and 135.04 (tadalafil analogues), m/z 311.15 and 283.12 (sildenafil analogues and hongdenafil analogues), and m/z 312.16 and 151.09 (vardenafil analogues). The advantage of this method is that the structure of unknown components can be determined by interpreting the product ions. Hence, the developed method can be used for the identification of unknown compounds. Fragmentation pathways may also aid in the detection and identification of PDE-5 inhibitor analogues.