@article{APS7956,
author = {Qian Ba and Juan Duan and Jia-qiang Tian and Zi-liang Wang and Tao Chen and Xiao-guang Li and Pei-zhan Chen and Song-jie Wu and Li Xiang and Jing-quan Li and Rui-ai Chu and Hui Wang},
title = {Dihydroartemisinin promotes angiogenesis during the early embryonic development of zebrafish},
journal = {Acta Pharmacologica Sinica},
volume = {34},
number = {8},
year = {2016},
keywords = {},
abstract = {Aim: To investigate the embryotoxicity of dihydroartemisinin (DHA), the main active metabolite of artemisinin, in zebrafish, and explore the corresponding mechanisms.
Methods: The embryos of wild type and TG (flk1:GFP) transgenic zebrafish were exposed to DHA. Developmental phenotypes of the embryos were observed. Development of blood vessels was directly observed in living embryos of TG (flk1:GFP) transgenic zebrafish under fluorescence microscope. The expression of angiogenesis marker genes vegfa, flk1, and flt1 in the embryos was detected using real-time PCR and RNAin situ hybridization assays.
Results: Exposure to DHA (1–10 mg/L) dose-dependently caused abnormal zebrafish embryonic phenotypes in the early
developmental stage. Furthermore, exposure to DHA (10 mg/L) resulted in more pronounced embryonic angiogenesis in TG (flk1:GFP) zebrafish line. Exposure to DHA (10 mg/L) significantly increased the mRNA expression of vegfa, flk1, and flt1 in the embryos.
Knockdown of the flk1 protein partially blocked the effects of DHA on embryogenesis.
Conclusion: DHA causes abnormal embryonic phenotypes and promotes angiogenesis in zebrafish early embryonic development, demonstrating the potential embryotoxicity of DHA.},
issn = {1745-7254}, url = {http://www.chinaphar.com/article/view/7956}
}