Planta Med 2007; 73(7): 624-628
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-981536
Pharmacology
Original Paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Ginkgo biloba Extract Improves Coronary Blood Flow in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: Role of Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation

Yuzhou Wu1 , Shuqin Li2 , Wei Cui1 , Xiuguang Zu1 , Fengfei Wang1 , Jun Du1
  • 1Department of Cardiology, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, P.R. China
  • 2Department of Pathophysiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, P.R. China
Further Information

Publication History

Received: December 3, 2006 Revised: April 28, 2007

Accepted: May 1, 2007

Publication Date:
13 June 2007 (online)

Abstract

Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) has well-documented cardioprotective effects on coronary flow and positive effects on vasodilation through endothelium-derived nitric oxide in experimental animals, but these impacts in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) have not yet been investigated. We designed this study to test the effects of GBE on distal left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) blood flow and endothelium-dependent brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in patients with CAD. Eighty CAD patients were randomly assigned to either GBE or saline (control) groups. LAD blood flow and brachial artery FMD were measured non-invasively using high-resolution ultrasound before and after intravenous administration of GBE or saline. GBE significantly increased LAD blood flow in maximal diastolic peak velocity (MDPV), maximal systolic peak velocity (MSPV) and diastolic time velocity integral (DTVI) compared with the control group (16.14 ± 10.93 % vs. 0.28 ± 2.14 %, 9.14 ± 8.23 % vs. 0.79 ± 2.56 %, and 15.23 ± 7.28 % vs. 0.42 ± 2.43 %, respectively, p < 0.01). Brachial artery FMD was also increased by 69.75 % (from 3.95 ± 1.49 % to 6.55 ± 2.51 %, p < 0.01). A linear correlation was found between the percentage changes in MDPV, MSPV, or DTVI of LAD blood flow and the percentage change in brachial artery FMD following treatment with GBE (r = 0.612, 0.486, or 0.521, respectively, p < 0.01). In summary, our data demonstrate that GBE treatment in CAD patients leads to an increase of LAD blood flow in MDPV, MSPV and DTVI, and the increase response might relate to the improved endothelium-dependent vasodilatory capacity.

Abbreviations

CAD: coronary artery disease

DTVI: diastolic time velocity integral

FMD: flow-mediated dilation

GBE: Ginkgo biloba extract

LAD: distal left anterior descending coronary artery

MDPV: maximal diastolic peak velocity

MSPV: maximal systolic peak velocity

NO: nitric oxide

TTDE: transthoracic Doppler echocardiography

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Yuzhou Wu and Wei Cui, MD

Department of Cardiology

Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University

Shijiazhuang 050000

People’s Republic of China

Phone: +86-311-8722-2941

Email: caswu@126.com