HuiGen Chen 
Wheaton College (MA)
Major: Biochemistry
Mentor: Dr. Louis S. Tisa, UNH Department of Microbiology
Effect of angiogenic inhibitors from herbal extracts on endothelial cells migration
Traditional cancer treatment has included chemotherapy and radiation in conjunction with inhibitors including Avastin, thrombospondin, and angiostain. These inhibitors work against the process of angiogenesis, by which new capillary blood vessels sprout from the pre-existing vasculature involved in the migration and proliferation of endothelial cells. Tumor cells secrete growth factors including endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that induce nearby vessels to grow towards the tumor to supply it with oxygen and nutrients. If this process is blocked, the tumor will starve, decrease in size and eventually reach apoptosis.
Conventional inhibitors are used at low levels because they indiscriminatingly effect both target and non-target cells. Tumor cells often mutate and become resistant to chemotherapy. Many studies have highlighted the significance of herbal/alternative medicine as a potent agent for anti-angiogenic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammation treatment. These active herbal inhibitors contain polyphenolic compounds (Flavonol, Resveratrol) that are found in many herbs and have been suggested to function as antioxidants which reduce oxidative damage to cells. The focus of this research is to examine the effect of various herbs containing active polyphenolic compound as an inhibitor in vascular growth.
Three different in vitro assays will be used to assess the efficacy of how polyphenolic compounds influence the growth of blood vessels. First, cell proliferation assay will measure the cell viability by quantifying the number of growing cells. Second, cell migration assay is a classical approach of assessing the movement of cells that resembles a process of vessel formation. This technique will determine if herbal extracts contain potent inhibitors that would reduce vessels growth. Third, tube formation assay will evaluate vessel growth in three dimensional structures. The results from these experiments might give the health community an alternative outlook on treatment of many angiogenesis-dependent diseases.
