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A ncovel angiogenic factor derived from Aloe vera gel: β-sitosterol, a plant sterol

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Abstract

Aloe vera gel has a beneficial effect on wound healing. Because angiogenesis is an essential process in wound healing, we hypothesized that Aloe vera gel might contain potent angiogenic compounds. Here we demonstrate that Aloe vera gel and its extracts are angiogenic on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of chick embryo. Out of the three compounds purified from the final fraction of Aloe vera gel, β-sitosterol showed a potent angiogenic activity in the CAM assay. In the presence of heparin, β-sitosterol stimulated neovascularization in the mouse Matrigel plug assay and the motility of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in an in vitro wound migration assay. Thus β-sitosterol is a novel plant-derived angiogenic factor which may have potential pharmaceutical applications for the management of chronic wounds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biology, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea

    Eun-Joung Moon, You Mie Lee, Ok-Hee Lee, Myoung-Jin Lee & Kyu-Won Kim

  2. College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

    Seung-Ki Lee

  3. College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

    Myung-Hee Chung

  4. College of Natural Resources, Korea University, Seoul, Korea

    Young-In Park

  5. College of Pharmacy, Chonnam National University, Kwangju, Korea

    Chung-Ki Sung

  6. Department of Food and Life Science, Pukyong National University, Pusan, Korea

    Jae-Soo Choi

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  1. Eun-Joung Moon
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  2. You Mie Lee
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Moon, EJ., Lee, Y.M., Lee, OH. et al. A ncovel angiogenic factor derived from Aloe vera gel: β-sitosterol, a plant sterol. Angiogenesis 3, 117–123 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009058232389

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009058232389

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