The up-regulation of miR-21 by gastrodin to promote the angiogenesis ability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells by activating the signaling pathway of PI3K/Akt

Studies have shown that gastrodin has a protective effect on blood vessels. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of gastrodin on the angiogenesis ability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and its mechanism. We found that treatment of HUVECs with 10 mu M and 25 mu M gastrodin, and Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) significantly upregulated the miR-21 expression in the cells. Meanwhile, gastrodin significantly increased the cell proliferation, migration and tube formation ability of HUVECs and increased the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA. In addition, gastrodin promoted the phosphorylation level of PI3K/Akt protein. However, down-regulating the miR-21 expression reduced the promoting effect of gastrodin on the HUVECs angiogenesis. In conclusion, gastrodin activates the PI3K/Akt pathway by up-regulating the miR-21 expression and promotes the HUVECs angiogenesis.

Automated summary

Studies have shown that gastrodin upregulates miR-21 expression in HUVECs, leading to increased cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation ability, as well as the activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. This ultimately promotes angiogenesis in HUVECs.