title: Ferulic acid augments angiogenesis via VEGF, PDGF and HIF-1 alpha.
abstract: Therapeutic angiogenesis is critical to wound healing and ischemic diseases such as myocardial infarction and stroke. For development of therapeutic agents, a search for new angiogenic agents is the key. Ferulic acid, a phytochemical found in many fruits and vegetables, exhibits a broad range of therapeutic effects on human diseases, including diabetes and cancer. This study investigated the augmenting effect of ferulic acid on angiogenesis through functional modulation of endothelial cells. Through endothelial cell migration and tube formation assays, ferulic acid (10(-6)-10(-4) M) was found to induce significant angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro without cytotoxicity. With chorioallantoic membrane assay, ferulic acid (10(-6)-10(-5) M) was also found to promote neovascularization in vivo. Using Western blot analysis and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, we found that ferulic acid increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) expression in HUVECs. Furthermore, the amounts of hypoxic-induced factor (HIF) 1 alpha mRNA and protein, the major regulator of VEGF and PDGF, also showed up-regulation by ferulic acid. Electrophoretic migration shift assay showed that the binding activity of HIF-1 alpha was also enhanced with ferulic acid treatment of HUVECs. Moreover, inhibitors of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) abolished the binding activity of HIF-1 alpha and the subsequent activation of VEGF and PDGF production by ferulic acid. Thus, both mitogen-activated protein kinase and PI3K pathways were involved in the angiogenic effects of ferulic acid. Taken together, ferulic acid serves as an angiogenic agent to augment angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. This effect might be observed through the modulation of VEGF, PDGF and HIF-1 alpha.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chiu-Mei
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jen-Hwey
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: I-Hsing
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Bao-Wei
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chun-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Yen-Hsu
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D049033:Chorioallantoic Membrane / Q000098:blood supply; D003373:Coumaric Acids / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006801:Humans; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007511:Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; D003373:Coumaric Acids; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; C497442:HIF1A protein, human; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; C004999:ferulic acid; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases