H NMR metabonomic analysis of serum and flap tissue on the effect of ginsenoside Rb1 on survival of random pattern skin flaps in rats.

The clinical application of randomly patterned skin flaps is often limited by their length-to-width ratio, which can negatively impact their viability. This study aims to investigate the effect of ginsenoside Rb1 on the survival of random skin flaps and explores the underlying mechanisms using metabonomic approaches. Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to a control group, an ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) group, and a ginsenoside Rb1 treatment group. The serum and middle flap tissue of the rats were collected for H-NMR spectroscopy detection and computer pattern recognition analysis. Ten days post-surgery, the survival rate of dorsal flaps in Rb1 group (61.06 ± 3.71) % was significantly higher than in I/R group (50.46 ± 1.41)%. Analyses of H-NMR spectrum 24 h post-surgery demonstrated increased lipid content in the serum of I/R group. In contrast, serum samples from the Rb1 group exhibited significantly higher levels of glutamate, creatine and fumarate, while lactate, choline/phosphocholine, N-acetylglycoprotein and allantoin were decreased. The contents of ATP/ADP/AMP of glutamine, citrate, tauric acid, and fumarate in flap tissue were increased while those of lactate, acetate and acetoacetate were significantly decreased. These findings suggest that ginsenoside Rb1 may enhance the survival of random skin flaps, potentially providing protective benefits in clinical applications.