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

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.

Cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of commonly used surinamese medicinal plants in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells

OBJECTIVE: Medicinal plants are popularly used in Suriname for treating a wide variety of conditions. However, there are often no records about their possible adverse maternal and perinatal effects. For this reason, we assessed a number of commonly used plant-derived folk medicines for their potential genotoxic effects in a cell culture model. DESIGN AND METHODS: Parts from Aloe vera, Apium graveolens, Azaradichta indica, Carica papaya, Cocos nucifera, Dioscorea villosa, Eryngium foetidum, Gossypium barbadense, Momordica charantia, Musa x paradisiaca, and Senna reticulata were extracted with distilled water, freeze-dried, and stored at -20oC. Next, they were evaluated at serial dilutions for their effects on the proliferation of, and DNA damage formation in cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells using a sulforhodamine B and a single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay, respectively. The latter studies were validated by assessing the DNA strand-breakage induced by etoposide. RESULTS: The extracts from A. vera, G. barbadense, M. charantia, M. paradisiaca, and S. reticulata inhibited cell growth at IC50 values of 100 to 400 μg/mL, whereas the remaining samples were hardly cytotoxic (IC50 values > 1,000 μg/mL). However, only the extracts from G. barbadense and M. paradisiaca caused appreciable DNA damage, viz. 40 and 30%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Preparations from G. barbadense and M. paradisiaca should be used with caution, particularly by pregnant women. These samples are now further evaluated in more comprehensive models of genotoxicity.