Effects of nutraceuticals on sprouting of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells and growth of sub-intestinal vessels in zebra fish embryos

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Nutraceuticals such as resveratrol, catechins, and curcumin have been reported to interfere, among others, with angiogenesis. Based on these reports, we evaluated a number of Surinamese nutraceuticals for their effects on angiogenesis in a cell culture and zebra fish model. DESIGN AND METHODS: Parts from Cecropia peltata, Luffa acutangula, Momordica charantia, Morinda citrifolia, Oenocarpus bacaba, Psidium guajava, and Spondias mombin were extracted with distilled water, freeze-dried, and evaluated for their cytotoxicity in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) using a sulforhodamine B assay, as well as the sprouting of these cells in a scratch-wound assay. In parallel, the plant extracts were assessed for their effects on sub-intestinal vessel length in embryos of the zebra fish Danio rerio. RESULTS: At lowly cytotoxic concentrations (< IC50 values), the C. peltata, L. acutangula, M. charantia, and M. citrifolia extracts yielded 20 to 100% larger wound gap areas when compared to those in untreated cell cultures, while the O. bacaba extract produced a roughly 20% smaller wound gap area. Furthermore, the L. acutangula, M. charantia, and P. guajava extracts inhibited sub-intestinal vessel growth in zebra fish embryos by 30 to 50%, while the O. bacaba preparation stimulated this phenomenon by about 50%. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibitory effects of the L. acutangula, M. charantia, and P. guajava extracts, and the stimulatory effect of the O. bacaba sample on HUVEC sprouting and zebra fish sub-intestinal vessel growth, suggest that these nutraceuticals are able to interfere with angiogenesis.