Poster PresentationConference Theme: Translating Advances in Science into Improvements in Cardiovascular HealthAbnormality of angiogenesis can contribute to several pathologic processes
including atherosclerosis and cancer. Different bioactive components of
astragalus membranaceus (huangqi), a commonly used herb in traditional
Chinese medicine, exert different effects on the angiogenesis of human cancer
cells and endothelial cells. Therefore, the effect of astragalus membranaceus
and its active components on angiogenesis under different pathological
conditions were investigated. Human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs)
and human colon cancer cell HCT 116 were used for in vitro studies. The
effect of astragalus membranaceus on proliferation were examined using
3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.
The results indicated that the viabilities of HUVECs treated with astragalus
saponin (0.1 to 25 µg/ml), astragaloside IV (0.01 to 100 µM) and calycosin
(1 to 200 µM) for 24-72 hours were not significantly different from the
control group (without any treatment). Astragalus saponin and astragaloside
IV, at the same concentrations as used in HUVECs, also did not affect the
viability of HCT 116 cells, while the highest concentration of calycosin
(200 µM) inhibited the growth of HCT 116 cells. The angiogenic potential
of these components of astragalus membranaceus are examined in both
HUVECs [under the stimulation of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA),
a protein kinase C activator] and HCT 116 cells by wound healing migration
assay and tube formation assay, in order to identify the influence of
astragalus membranaceus and its components on pathological angiogenesis