A mechanistic study of proliferation induced by Angelica sinensis in a normal gastric epithelial cell line

It has been reported that an extract from Angelica sinensis mainly consisti ng of polysaccharides (95%) prevented ethanol- or indomethacin-induced gast ric mucosal damage (Cho CH et al. Planta Med 2000;66:348-51). However, it i s not known whether Angelica sinensis has a direct stimulatory effect on th e healing of gastric mucosal lesions. To study the hypothesis that Angelica sinensis has a direct mucosal healing effect in rats and in isolated gastr ic epithelial cells, we assessed the wound repair in both animals and norma l cell culture (RGM-1), as well as [H-3]thymidine incorporation, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity, and ODC protein and c-Myc protein expression after different treatments in RGM-1 cells. We found that Angelica sinensis crude extract (ASCE) dose-dependently enhanced gastric ulcer healing in rat s and promoted wound repair in RGM-1 cells. It also significantly stimulate d [H-3]thymidine incorporation and ODC activity in RGM-1 cells in a concent ration-dependent manner. ODC and c-Myc protein expression was also increase d as a result of this process. DL-alpha -difluoromethyl-ornithine repressed the [H-3]thymidine incorporation and ODC activity induced by ASCE. Pretrea tment with c-Myc antisense oligodeoxynucleotides blocked the stimulatory ac tion of ASCE on [3H]thymidine incorporation and ODC protein expression. The se data suggest that ASCE has a direct mucosal healing effect on gastric ep ithelial cells, while ODC and c-Myc are closely associated with this effect . (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.