Publications

Abstract : Ecdysteroids are insect moulting hormones which are structurally different from mammalian steroids, but have been shown to have several beneficial effects in mammals. Ecdysterone is known to enhance wound healing in rabbits by a faster granulation tissue formation and epithelial cell proliferation. In this study, we focused our efforts on elucidating the molecular mechanism involved in Ecdysterone mediated wound healing. In order to achieve this, we employed an in vitro wound healing assay using 3T3L1 cells treated with Ecdysterone, isolated from Sesuvium portulacastrum. The assay demonstrated that Ecdysterone enhanced in vitro wound healing activity in a dose dependent manner. Further studies demonstrated that Ecdysterone enhanced cell proliferation and cell migration in a nitric oxide dependent manner. Additionally, fluorescence studies with DAF FM diacetate, a specific indicator for nitric oxide, demonstrated that Ecdysterone enhances nitric oxide (NO) production in a dose dependent manner through activation of Nitric oxide Synthase (NOS). These results demonstrate that Ecdysterone can enhance the wound healing process in a nitric oxide (NO) dependent manner