Promotion of Astragaloside IV for EA-hy926 Cell Proliferation and Angiogenic Activity via ERK1/2 Pathway.

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the pro-angiogenic effects of Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) in vitro and reveal the potential mechanisms. A kind of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), named EA-hy926 cells, were treated with various dosages of AS-IV. We then utilized Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), real-time PCR and Western blot to detect EA-hy926 cells' proliferation and proangiogenic effect from AS-IV. Data showed that AS-IV promoted EA-hy926 cells proliferation, as assessed by CCK-8. The AS-IV was also associated with an increased tube formation and upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA and protein in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, the influence of AS-IV on cell proliferation and angiogenisis could be abolished by inhibitor PD98059 through suppressed extracellular signal regulated protein kinases1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation. These data demonstrated that the AS-IV activated the ERK1/2 pathway to control VEGF synthesis. Our findings conclude that the AS-IV promotes EA-hy926 cells proliferation and angiogenesis through ERK1/2 pathway, and it is also a regulator of VEGF.