Anti-angiogenic effects of the fruit of Alpinia oxyphylla.
OBJECTIVE
The fruit of Alpinia oxyphylla, an herb commonly used in East Asian medicine, is variously used for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory conditions, which may possibly be mediated through anti-angiogenesis. This study aims to check for anti-angiogenic functions in the herb.


METHODS
The 95% ethanol extract and four subsequent fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous fractions) of the fruit of A. oxyphylla were tested on zebrafish model by quantitative endogenous alkaline phosphatase assay; then the active fractions were further tested on wild type and Tg(fli1a:EGFP)y1 zebrafish embryos and human umbilical vein endothelial cells and tumor cell lines for the anti-angiogenic effects.


RESULTS
The n-hexane and ethyl acetate fractions showed anti-angiogenic potentials in both in vivo and in vitro models.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of A. oxyphylla for cancer and inflammation diseases may be partly due to its effects against vessel formation.
He
Zhi-Heng
ZH
School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong, PR China.
Ge
Wei
W
Yue
Grace Gar-Lee
GG
Lau
Clara Bik-San
CB
He
Ming-Fang
MF
But
Paul Pui-Hay
PP
D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D032429:Alpinia; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005638:Fruit; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015027:Zebrafish
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase