Functional evaluation of Cnidii Fructus and osthole on endothelial progenitor cells by animal and cell models (2-2)

Common Cnidium Fruit is a traditional Chinese medicine that used externally to kill worms and relieve itching. And internally, it was used mainly on warming the kidney. Osthole, a coumarin analogue, is the main active component in Common Cnidium Fruit with lots of biological activities, including anti-hypertension, anti-diabetes, anti-insulin resistance, anti-inflammation and etc. By its multiple functions on the alleviation of the risk factors of atherosclerosis, it is interesting that Common Cnidium Fruit may have the potency on modulating the function of EPCs in vivo. The results of the first year of this two-year project were revealed that Common Cnidium Fruit extracts could enhance the tube formation activity of EPCs in both normal culture condition and high glucose impaired EPCs tube formation model under no cytotoxic concentrations. And at low concentration, some extracts also induce nitric oxide productions in EPCs. The results of normal mouse feeding experiment resvealed that osthole showed to increase circulating EPC-like populations detected by flow cytometry. In the second year of this project, we will evaluate the number of circulating EPCs and the angiogenetic potency of Common Cnidium Fruit extracts and osthole in diet-induced obesity model by hindlimb ischemic model. The EPCs with or without osthole treatments will perform to investigate possible signaling pathways by gene chips which may get more information for healthcare and extend the applications for Common Cnidium Fruit.