Wogonoside inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo via toll-like receptor 4 signal transduction

Wogonoside, one flavonoid derived from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, has been reported for its anti-inflammation activity; however, whether it can inhibit inflammation-induced angiogenesis is still unclear. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of wogonoside on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Wogonoside suppressed the LPS-stimulated migration and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), as well as microvessel sprouting from rat aortic rings in vitro. Moreover, wogonoside also inhibited LPS-stimulated vessel growth of Chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) in vivo. The mechanism revealed that wogonoside inhibited LPS-induced toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) up-regulation and its downstream mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) activation, by decreasing the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. The results suggest that wogonoside inhibits LPS-induced angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo, and that it might have a therapeutic potential for the diseases associated with the development of both inflammation and angiogenesis progress.