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The wound-healing effect of a glycoprotein fraction isolated from aloe vera
1Department of Pharmacology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 110-799, Korea.
Background:
Aloe vera has been used as a family medicine for promoting wound healing, but it is not known which component of the plant is effective for this purpose.
Objectives:
To isolate and characterize the component effective in wound healing.
Methods:
Chromatography, electrophoresis and spectroscopic methods were used. The cell-proliferation activity of each component isolated was measured by a [3H]thymidine uptake assay. The cell-proliferation activity of the effective component was tested on a three-dimensional raft culture (cell culture technique by which artificial epidermis is made from keratinocytes). The effect of the active component on cell migration and wound healing was observed on a monolayer of human keratinocytes and in hairless mice.
Results:
A glycoprotein fraction was isolated and named G1G1M1DI2. It showed a single band on sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, with an apparent molecular weight of about 5.5 kDa. It exhibited significant [3H]thymidine uptake in squamous cell carcinoma cells. The effect of G1G1M1DI2 on cell migration was confirmed by accelerated wound healing on a monolayer of human keratinocytes. When this fraction was tested on a raft culture, it stimulated the formation of epidermal tissue. Furthermore, proliferation markers (epidermal growth factor receptor, fibronectin receptor, fibronectin, keratin 5/14 and keratin 1/10) were markedly expressed at the immunohistochemical level. The glycoprotein fraction enhanced wound healing in hairless mice by day 8 after injury, with significant cell proliferation.
Conclusions:
It is considered that this glycoprotein fraction is involved in the wound-healing effect of aloe vera via cell proliferation and migration.