Abstract:
Abstract Objective A study was conducted to investigate the effect of Prunella vulgaris sulfated polysaccharide (PVSP) on the expression of angiogenic growth factors (bFGF, VEGF, and IL-8) and angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma.
Methods ELISA assay was used to observe the effects of PVSP and the negative control drug Lentinan (LNT, non-sulfate radical drug) on secretions of the angiogenic growth factors, namely, bFGF, VEGF, and IL-8, in HepG2 cells in vitro. In an in vivo experiment, the microvessel density in hepatocellular carcinoma tissue sections treated with PVSP and LNT was calculated, analyzed, and compared with the microvessel density in the phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) control.
Results Compared with the PBS control group, PVSP at 200 μg/mL inhibited bFGF secretion (P < 0.01), whereas LNT failed to affect bFGF secretion. Neither PVSP nor LNT affected the secretions of VEGF and IL-8.In vivo results showed that PVSP at 200 mg/kg reduced the microvessel density in tumor tissue sections (P=0.03), whereas LNT at 10 mg/kg failed to affect microvessel density.
Conclusion Inhibition of bFGF secretion is a probable mechanism underlying the preventive effect of PVSP on hepatocellular carcinoma angiogenesis.