Abstract
Saikosaponin C is one of the saikosaponins that are consisted in a Chinese herb, Radix Bupleuri. Recently, saikosaponins have been reported to have properties of cell growth inhibition, inducing cancer cells differentiation and apoptosis. However, saikosaponin C had no correlation with cell growth inhibition. In this study, we investigated the role of saikosaponin C on the growth of endothelial cells and angiogenesis. We found that saikosaponin C yielded a potent effect on inducing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) viability and growth. In addition to inducing endothelial cells growth, saikosaponin C also induced endothelial cells migration and capillary tube formation. The gene expression or activation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK, ERK) that correlated with endothelial cells growth, migration and angiogenesis were also induced by saikosaponin C. From these results, we suggest that saikosaponin C may have the potential for therapeutic angiogenesis but is not suitable for cancer therapy.
MeSH terms
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Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology*
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Capillaries / drug effects*
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Capillaries / growth & development
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Cell Movement / drug effects
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Cell Survival / drug effects
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Cells, Cultured / drug effects
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Cells, Cultured / metabolism
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Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal / pharmacology*
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Endothelium, Vascular / drug effects*
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Endothelium, Vascular / growth & development
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Endothelium, Vascular / pathology
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Gene Expression / drug effects
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Humans
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Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / biosynthesis
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Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / genetics
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Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / biosynthesis
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Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / biosynthesis
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Neovascularization, Pathologic / chemically induced
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Oleanolic Acid / analogs & derivatives*
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Oleanolic Acid / pharmacology*
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RNA, Messenger / metabolism
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Saponins / pharmacology*
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Umbilical Veins
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Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / biosynthesis
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Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / genetics
Substances
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Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal
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RNA, Messenger
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Saponins
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VEGFA protein, human
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Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
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Oleanolic Acid
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Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1
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Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3
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Matrix Metalloproteinase 2
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saikosaponin D