Effect of aqueous extract of Ferula assa-foetida L. resin on angiogenesis in rat aortic ring model

Besides embryogenesis, the angiogenesis is required for many physiological and pathological conditions (e.g. tumor growth). Various studies have shown the anti-proliferative and anti-cancer effects of Ferula assa-foetida (FF) resin. In the present study using a Wistar rat aortic model the effect of aqueous extract of FF resin on the angiogenesis has been investigated.
In this experimental study, Wistar rat aorta was divided into strips (1 mm) and cultured in collagen matrixes. Following the observation of angiogenic sprouting on third day, the samples were classified into 4 groups (n=8 in each group): Control group, Sham-exposed group (treated with sterile distilled water) and Experimental groups 1 and 2 (treated with 100 and 200 μg/ml of aqueous extract of FF resin, respectively). After 24 hours, the angiogenesis was assessed using the invert microscopy followed by the photography of all samples. The length and number of blood vessels were measured using Image J software.
The Mean for length (143.8±5.3) and number (51.2±7.3) of vessels in Control samples showed no significant difference compared to Sham-exposed samples (138.1±3.8) and (46.3±5.4), respectively. The Mean length and number of vessels in the Experimental groups 1 (81.5±4.5; 26.8±3.5) and 2 (35.9±4.3; 7.7±2.6) were significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner compared to the Control group (P The aqueous extract of FF resin dose-dependently inhibits the angiogenesis. Therefore, the use of FF resin can be effective in inhibiting the angiogenesis.