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.