Bacopa monnieri phytochemicals regulate fibroblast cell migration via modulation of focal adhesions

The Bacopa monnieri plant contains a large repertoire of active phytochemicals that have been used extensively in traditional medicine for the treatment of various complex diseases. More recently it has been shown to increase the wound healing rate in rats, though its mechanism of action is largely unknown. Here we investigated the cellular pathways activated by a methanol extract of Bacopa monnieri in human dermal fibroblasts, which play many critical roles in the wound healing program. Gene expression analysis revealed that Bacopa monnieri extract can enhance tissue repair by modulating multiple processes involved in the wound healing program such as migration, proliferation, and angiogenesis. We discovered that Bacopa monnieri extract can increase migration of fibroblasts via modulating the size and number of focal adhesions. Bacopa monnieri mediated changes in focal adhesions are dependent on alpha 5 beta 1 integrin activation and subsequent phosphorylation of Focal Adhesion Kinase. Altogether our results suggest that Bacopa monnieri extract could enhance the wound healing rate via modulating fibroblast migration in the wound bed.

假马齿苋（Bacopa monnieri）含有丰富的活性植物化学成分，该类成分在传统医学中被广泛用于治疗多种复杂疾病。近年来研究证实，其可提升大鼠的伤口愈合速率，但其具体作用机制尚不明确。本研究针对假马齿苋甲醇提取物在人类皮肤成纤维细胞中激活的细胞通路展开探究——此类细胞在伤口愈合过程中发挥诸多关键作用。基因表达分析结果显示，假马齿苋提取物可通过调控伤口愈合程序中的多项核心环节（如细胞迁移、增殖与血管生成）增强组织修复能力。本研究发现，假马齿苋提取物可通过调控黏着斑（focal adhesions）的大小与数量，提升成纤维细胞的迁移能力。假马齿苋介导的黏着斑变化，依赖于整合素α5β1（alpha 5 beta 1 integrin）的激活，以及后续发生的黏着斑激酶（Focal Adhesion Kinase）磷酸化过程。综上，本研究结果表明，假马齿苋提取物可通过调控伤口床中成纤维细胞的迁移，提升伤口愈合速率。