Malasia
Background: Angiogenesis and inflammation are two linked processes that exacerbate solid malignancies such as colorectal cancer. Bearing this in mind, it was important to study the anti-angiogenic properties of a well-known anti-inflammatory herb, Ocimum basilicum Lamiaceae (OB). Although many studies have explored the OB cytotoxic properties against a panel of cell lines, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that aims to investigate the in vitro and ex vivo anti-angiogenic properties of OB. Methods: Ethanolic extract of Ocimum basilicum leaves (OBL70) was prepared in 70% ethanol. Its half-maximal (IC50) inhibitory concentration on HT29 and EA.hy926 cells were evaluated using viability assay. Its antiangiogenic activities were investigated through ex vivo rat aorta ring assay, migration assay, invasion assay, and tube formation assay. Results and Conclusion: OBL70 demonstrated selective cytotoxicity against EA.hy926 endothelial cells and HT29 cells with IC50 value of 79.78± 2.35 and >100 µg/ml respectively. At 100 µg/ml, 7 days exposure to OBL70 significantly inhibited rat aortic formation of new blood vessels by 77.46 ± 9.3% while the percentage of EA.hy926 survival after 96h exposure was reduced to 71.6± 4.1 %. In addition, OBL70 inhibited EA.hy926 migration by 59.1 % ± 1.17 and 49.5 % ± 3.79 at 12 and 24 h. OBL70 also decreased the number of endothelial cell invasion through the Matrigel by 31.51 ± 2.37%. Notably, at both 200 and 100 µg/ml, OBL70 was able to stop tube formation totally. These significant findings suggest promising potential for translation into anti-angiogenic therapeutic agent.