Ethnomedicines’ effects on the process of vascularisation in embryonated chicken eggs

Abstract

Angiogenesis (vascularisation) is a vivacious progression during embryonic development, which is required for the growth, development, wound healing and maintenance. However, the process may turn into pathological conditions; excessive angiogenesis occurs in diseases such as cancer, diabetic blindness, age related macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, etc., whereas insufficient angiogenesis occurs in diseases like coronary artery disease and chronic wounds. Since ancient times, the human population has been dependent on plants for deriving medicines to cure diseases. In the present study, aqueous extract of 04 ethnomedicinal plants parts, Butea monosperma (Kamarkas), Dioscorea hispida (Beychandi), Myristica fragrans (Nutmeg) and Mesua ferrea (Nagkesar), were evaluated for modulation of angiogenesis in chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of embryonated chicken eggs. Out of these 04, B. monosperma revealed mild inhibitory effects on angiogenesis. M. fragrans and D. hispida inhibited angiogenesis, but also showed detrimental effect on growth of normal CAM with irregular outgrowths in form of projections and uneven thickness. The M. ferrea revealed its potential as antiangiogenic material by inhibiting the vascularisation by reducing the number of blood vessels without effecting normal morphology of CAM tissue. The study paves way to screen ethnomedicinal wealth for screening of plant produce for therapeutic purposes in ameliorating angiogenic disorders.