Molecular mechanisms underlying wound healing and anti-inflammatory properties of naturally occurring...

Two phenylpropanoid glycosides, verbascoside (VB) and teupolioside (TP), produced biotechnologically by Syringa vulgaris and Ajuga reptans plant cell cultures, were studied in vitro and in vivo for their anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities. It was shown that TP- and VB-containing extracts significantly accelerated wound healing and possessed remarkable anti-inflammatory action in the excision wound model. These effects correlated with the inhibition of reactive oxygen species release from the whole blood leukocytes and with the ferrous ion chelating capacity. On the other hand, they don't correlate either with free radical scavenging or with the inhibition of lipid peroxidation in the cell-free systems. Furthermore, both VB- and TP-containing extracts were extremely effective inhibitors of chemokine and growth factor expression by cultured human keratinocytes treated with pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-alpha and interferon-gamma.