Paper Title
Beta-Eudesmol Suppresses Angiogenesis in Zebrafish

Abstract
Angiogenesis or the formation of new blood vessels plays an important role in physiological and pathological processes such as embryogenesis, wound healing, cardiovascular diseases, tumor growth and/or metastasis. Many factors regulate the process. Unregulated angiogenesis is undesirable and is characteristic of tumors and cancerous cells. Beta-eudesmol is one among many pharmacologically active sesquiterpenoids extracted from the rhizome of Atractylodeslancea (AL). In vitro studies have reported anti-angiogenic activities of β-eudesmol. However, there are limited in vivo studies regarding the effects, especially concerning the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family. We implied the well- established zebrafish in vivo model to investigate the effects of β-eudesmol on the development of sub-intestinal veins (SIVs). Zebrafish embryos at 1.5-2 hours post-fertilization (HPF) were exposed to 6.3, 12.5, 25, & 50 µM of β-eudesmol and the vehicle control for 72 hrs. Phenotypic vessel counts revealed that β-eudesmol at higher concentrations (12.5, 25 and 50 µM) significantly inhibited the SIV formation compared to the control group (p<0.001). While evaluation of the effects on genes involved in blood vessel formation namelyVegfaa showed significant downregulation of the gene by all the concentrations of β-eudesmol (p<0.001). It also inhibited the expression of Vegfaa protein. Results from this study reveal that β-eudesmol has an anti-angiogenic property and as such, it could be a potential alternative for the treatment of diseases that depend on blood vessel formation for their progression. Keywords - Anti-angiogenesis, β-eudesmol, Sub-intestinal Vessel, Vegfaa, Zebrafish Embryos