Nigella sativa L. seed extracts promote wound healing progress by activating VEGF and PDGF signaling pathways: An in vitro and in silico study

Chella Perumal Palanisamy; Phaniendra Alugoju; Selvaraj Jayaraman; Sirilux Poompradub

doi:10.12688/f1000research.132106.1

Nigella sativa L. seed extracts promote wound healing progress by activating VEGF and PDGF signaling pathways: An in vitro and in silico study

F1000Res. 2023 Jun 21:12:436. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.132106.1. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Chella Perumal Palanisamy¹, Phaniendra Alugoju², Selvaraj Jayaraman³, Sirilux Poompradub^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
² Natural Products for Neuroprotection and Anti-Ageing Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
³ Centre of Molecular Medicine and Diagnostics (COMManD), Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Dental College & Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 600077, India.
⁴ Center of Excellence in Green Materials for Industrial Application, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Abstract

Background: A significant area of clinical research is the development of natural wound healing products and the management of chronic wounds. Healing wounds with medicinal plants has been a practice of ancient civilizations for centuries. Nigella sativa L ( N. sativa) is a medicinal plant that has several pharmacological properties. Methods: The present study evaluated the wound healing properties of Nigella sativa L. ( N. sativa) seed extracts using normal cell lines such as normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) were analyzed through western blot analysis. Furthermore, computational analyses were carried out to screen the potential bioactive compounds for wound healing applications. Results: The results of the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay revealed that, all the tested solvent extracts of N. sativa seeds (including ethanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and petroleum ether) did not exert any cytotoxic effects at the tested concentrations. Furthermore, the western blot analysis showed elevated levels of VEGF and PDGF upon treatment with N. sativa seed extracts. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of N. sativa extracts identified 268 phytocompounds. Molecular docking studies revealed that three phytocompounds of N. sativa extracts, including tricyclo[20.8.0.0(7,16)]triacontane, 1(22),7(16)-diepoxy-, adaphostin and obeticholic acid had strong binding affinity with wound healing-related target proteins, showing docking scores ranging from -5.5 to -10.9 Kcal/mol. These compounds had acceptable Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion (ADME) properties. Conclusions: Based on these results, N. sativa seed extracts might possess potential wound healing properties owing to the presence of a wide range of bioactive components.

Keywords: Nigella sativa L.; Platelet-derived growth factor; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Wound healing.

MeSH terms

Endothelial Cells
Humans
Molecular Docking Simulation
Nigella sativa* / chemistry
Plant Extracts / pharmacology
Plant Extracts / therapeutic use
Platelet-Derived Growth Factor
Signal Transduction
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
Wound Healing

Substances

Plant Extracts
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
Platelet-Derived Growth Factor

Grants and funding

This research project was supported by the Second Century Fund (C2F), Chulalongkorn University and granted to Dr. Chella Perumal Palanisamy (grant no. 80002324) under the supervision of Professor Sirilux Poompradub. Center of Excellence in Green Materials for Industrial Application, Ratchedaphiseksomphot endowment fund (grant no. GCE 6508223006-1) granted to Professor Sirilux Poompradub.