1. S-allylcysteine Improves Blood Flow Recovery and Prevents Ischemic Injury by Augmenting Neovasculogenesis
- Author
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Syu, Jia-Ning, Yang, Mei-Due, Tsai, Shu-Yao, Chiang, En-Pei Isabel, Chiu, Shao-Chih, Chao, Che-Yi, Rodriguez, Raymond L, and Tang, Feng-Yao
- Subjects
Biological Sciences ,Regenerative Medicine ,Prevention ,Cardiovascular ,Heart Disease ,Heart Disease - Coronary Heart Disease ,Nutrition ,Stem Cell Research ,Animals ,Cell Proliferation ,Cysteine ,Endothelial Progenitor Cells ,Female ,Humans ,Mice ,Neovascularization ,Physiologic ,Signal Transduction ,S-allylcysteine ,neovascularization ,c-kit ,Akt ,human endothelial progenitor cells ,Technology ,Medical and Health Sciences ,Neurology & Neurosurgery ,Biological sciences - Abstract
Studies suggest that a low level of circulating human endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) is a risk factor for ischemic injury and coronary artery disease (CAD). Consumption of S-allylcysteine (SAC) is known to prevent CAD. However, the protective effects of SAC on the ischemic injury are not yet clear. In this study, we examined whether SAC could improve blood flow recovery in ischemic tissues through EPC-mediated neovasculogenesis. The results demonstrate that SAC significantly enhances the neovasculogenesis of EPCs in vitro. The molecular mechanisms for SAC enhancement of neovasculogenesis include the activation of Akt/endothelial nitric oxide synthase signaling cascades. SAC increased the expression of c-kit, β-catenin, cyclin D1, and Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) proteins in EPCs. Daily intake of SAC at dosages of 0.2 and 2 mg/kg body weight significantly enhanced c-kit protein levels in vivo. We conclude that dietary consumption of SAC improves blood flow recovery and prevents ischemic injury by inducing neovasculogenesis in experimental models.
- Published
- 2017