ABSTRACT
Salicin has been studied as a potent antiinflammatory agent. Angiogenesis is an essential process for tumor progression, and negative regulation of angiogenesis provides a good strategy for antitumor therapy. However, the potential medicinal value of salicin on antitumorigenic and antiangiogenic effects remain unexplored. In this study, we examined the antitumorigenic and antiangiogenic activity of salicin and its underlying mechanism of action. Salicin suppressed the angiogenic activity of endothelial cells, such as migration, tube formation, and sprouting from an aorta. Moreover, salicin reduced reactive oxygen species production and activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor was also decreased by salicin in endothelial cells. When the salicin was administered to mice, salicin inhibited tumor growth and angiogenesis in a mouse tumor model. Taken together, salicin targets the signaling pathways mediated by reactive oxygen species and extracellular signal-regulated kinase, providing new perspectives into a potent therapeutic agent for hypervascularized tumors.
Subject(s)
Angiogenesis Inhibitors/pharmacology , Benzyl Alcohols/pharmacology , Glucosides/pharmacology , Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/drug effects , MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects , Neoplasms, Experimental/drug therapy , Neovascularization, Pathologic/drug therapy , Animals , Aorta/drug effects , Cell Line, Tumor , Humans , In Vitro Techniques , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Neoplasms, Experimental/pathology , Plant Bark/chemistry , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism , Salix/chemistryABSTRACT
p-Coumaric acid, a hydroxy derivative of cinnamic acid, has been known to possess antioxidant and anticancer activities. Despite its potential contribution to chemopreventive effects, the mechanism by which p-coumaric acid exerts its antiangiogenic actions remains elusive. In this study, we revealed that p-coumaric acid inhibited the sprouting of endothelial cells in rat aortic rings and inhibited the tube formation and migration of endothelial cells. We observed that p-coumaric acid could downregulate mRNA expression levels of the key angiogenic factors vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor. Also, we demonstrated that p-coumaric acid inhibited both the AKT and ERK signaling pathways, which are known to be crucial for angiogenesis. Using a mouse model, we also showed that p-coumaric acid effectively suppressed tumor growth in vivo by lowering hemoglobin contents. Collectively, these findings indicate that p-coumaric acid possesses potent anticancer properties due to the inhibition of angiogenesis in vivo.