Abstract

Sulfated polysaccharide extracted from Prunella vulgaris, a commonly used traditional Chinese herb, possesses anti-tumor effect. But its underlying mechanism is unclear. The binding reaction of bFGF – P. vulgaris sulfated polysaccharide (PVSP) and bFGF - heparan were characterized by surface plasmon resonance assay. The competitive binding between bFGF - PVSP and bFGF - heparan sulfate were determined by solid phase combined assay. PVSP was capable of binding to bFGF in a dose - dependent manner. Moreover, PVSP could competitively inhibit the binding of heparan sulfate to the cell binding domain of bFGF in a dose - dependent manner. PVSP significantly inhibited the proliferation of ABAE cells in a dose - dependent and time - dependent manner. The percentage of apoptosis in adult bovine aortic endothelial cells showed significant difference between PVSP - treated cells and control cells. PVSP down regulated adult bovine aortic endothelial cell migration in a dose - dependent manner. Therefore, PVSP could influence the proliferation, apoptosis and migration of endothelial cells, which can be ascribed to the competitive ability of PVSP to inhibiting the binding of bFGF - heparan sulfate.

Key words: Angiogenesis, endothelial cell, Prunella vulgaris, sulfated polysaccharide.