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Introduction
Astragalus, known as Huang Qi in China, comprises the dry roots of Astragalus membranaceus (Hsiao) Bge or Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch) Bge. It has been used as an important component of herbal prescriptions to reduce swelling, drain pus and eradicate toxins for thousands of years (1). Several biological active ingredients have been obtained from Astragalus membranaceus, including polysaccharides, saponins, flavonoids, amino acids and trace elements. However, modern pharmacological investigations have demonstrated that the primary pharmacological ingredients of Astragalus membranaceus in wound healing are polysaccharides and saponins, which have effects on the improvement of immune function and the stimulation of cell physiology metabolism (2). Yang et al (3) reported that Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) has an effect on diabetic skin wounds. Therefore, APS is considered to be important in promoting wound healing.
To improve current understanding of APS on wound healing properties and the possible mechanisms, the present study purified a fraction, APS2-1, from a type of commercial Astragali. Following purification, the effects of APS2-1 on the proliferation, migration and cell cycle progression of human fibroblasts were examined. In addition, the mRNA and protein expression levels of cyclin D1 and IκBα in the presence of APS2-1 were evaluated. The secretion of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, basic fibroblast factor (bFGF), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were also measured. Ultimately, the wound healing properties of APS2-1 were evaluated in a scalded mouse model. The aims of the present study were to provide valuable data for evaluating the wound healing effect of APS2-1, in order to effectively and appropriately exploit APS2-1 for treating wounds in the future.
Materials and methods
Materials and chemicals
The Astragalus membranaceus roots were purchased from Guangyi Chinese Herbal Cultivation Co., Ltd (Fengzhen, China). DEAE-cellulose 52 and Sephadex G-100 were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich; Merck Millipore (Darmstadt, Germany) and Pharmacia; GE Healthcare Life Sciences (Uppsala, Sweden), respectively. 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich; Merck Millipore. DMEM, streptomycin and penicillin were obtained from Hyclone; GE Healthcare Life Sciences (Logan, UT, USA). ELISA kits for TGF-β1, bFGF, EGF and cyclin D1 were purchased from Shanghai Honsun Biological Co., Ltd. (Shanghai China). TRIzol reagent and SYBR Green I detection reagents were purchased from Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., (Hercules, CA, USA). Bovine serum albumin...