The effect of Sparstolonin B (SsnB) on gene expression in HUVECs

Sparstolonin B is a novel bioactive compound isolated from Sparganium stoloniferum, an herb historically used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an anti-tumor agent. SsnB has previously demonstrated anti-angiogenic properties. In functional assays, SsnB inhibited endothelial cell tube formation (Matrigel method) and cell migration (Transwell method) in a dose-dependent manner. We used microarrays to examine how SsnB affected the gene expression of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), focusing in particular on pathways related to angiogenesis. Two plates of HUVECs were exposed to 100 micromolar SsnB and two plates of HUVECs were exposed to Vehicle Control (1:1000 dilution of DMSO). After 24 hours, RNA was extracted for microarrays and gene expression was analyzed.