The effects of thalidomide on proliferation of endothelial cells of human umbilical vein and angiogenesis / 中华消化杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the mechanism and effect of thalidomide on gastrointestinal bleeding of angiodysplasia. Methods The endothelial cells of human umbilical vein were cultured in vitro to exponential phase of growth, then were divided into blank control, solvent control and different concentrations (10- 100 μg/ml) of thalidomide incubated with or without basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay 72 h after stimulation. The expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by ELISA and real-time PCR, respectively. Results The proliferation of endothelial cells of human umbilical vein was inhibited by thalidomide (≥40 μg/ml) both in presence or absence of bFGF. The expression of VEGF could be inhibited by 20 μg/ml of thalidomide in the absence of bFGF and 10 μg/ml in the presence of hFGF. No expression of TNF-α was detected. Conclusions The in vitro study reveals that thalidomide can inhibit the proliferation and the expression of VEGF, which may treat gastrointestinal bleeding of angiodysplasia by suppressing the angiogenesis.