Constituents of aquilaria sinensis leaves upregulate the expression of matrix metalloproteases 2 and 9

In this novel study, we isolated 28 compounds from the leaves of Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg based on a bioassay-guided procedure and also discovered the possible matrix metalloprotease 2 (MMP-2) and 9 (MMP-9) modulatory effect of pheophorbide A (PA). To evaluate the regulatory activity on MMP-2 and MMP-9, the HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma cells were treated with various concentrations of extracted materials and isolated compounds. PA was extracted by methanol from the leaves of A. sinensis and separated from the fraction of the partitioned ethyl acetate layer. PA is believed to be an active component for MMP expression since it exhibited significant stimulation on MMP-2 and proMMP-9 activity. When treating with 50 µM of PA, the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were increased 1.9-fold and 2.3-fold, respectively. PA also exhibited no cytotoxicity against HT-1080 cells when the cell viability was monitored. Furthermore, no significant MMP activity was observed when five PA analogues were evaluated. This study is the first to demonstrate that C-17 of PA is the deciding factor in determining the bioactivity of the compound. The MMP-2 and proMMP-9 modulatory activity of PA indicate its potential applications for reducing scar formation and comparative medical purposes.