PHMH, a diarylheptanoid from Alpinia officinarum attenuates VEGF-induced angiogenesis via inhibition of the VEGFR-2 signaling pathway

Food Funct. 2019 May 22;10(5):2605-2617. doi: 10.1039/c8fo01809j.

Abstract

The rhizome of Alpinia officinarum Hance, a popular spice used as a condiment in China and Europe, has various reported bioactivities, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, its anti-angiogenic activity has not previously been reported. In this study, a diarylheptanoid was isolated from Alpinia officinarum and identified as 1-phenyl-7-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-4E-en-3-heptanone (PHMH). We demonstrated that PHMH exerts anti-angiogenic activity both in vitro and in vivo. PHMH inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced viability, migration, invasion and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro, and also suppressed VEGF-induced sprout formation of rat aorta ex vivo. Furthermore, PHMH was found to block VEGF-induced vessel formation in mice and suppress angiogenesis in both zebrafish and chorioallantoic membrane models. Mechanistic studies indicated that PHMH inhibited VEGF-induced VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) auto-phosphorylation and resulted in the blockage of VEGFR-2-mediated signaling cascades in HUVECs, including the Akt/mTOR, ERK1/2, and FAK pathways. Our findings provide new insights into the potential application of PHMH as a therapeutic agent for anti-angiogenesis.

MeSH terms

  • Alpinia
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / administration & dosage*
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Animals
  • Cell Movement / drug effects
  • China
  • Diarylheptanoids / administration & dosage*
  • Diarylheptanoids / chemistry
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal / administration & dosage*
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal / chemistry
  • Female
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / drug effects
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / drug therapy*
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / genetics
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / metabolism
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / physiopathology
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / metabolism*
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / genetics
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / metabolism*
  • Zebrafish

Substances

  • 1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-phenyl-(6E)-6-hepten-3-one
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • Diarylheptanoids
  • Drugs, Chinese Herbal
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases