In Vitro Evaluation of Wound Healing, Stemness Potentiation, Antioxidant Activity, and Phytochemical Profile of Cucurbita moschata Duchesne Fruit Pulp Ethanolic Extract

Wound healing comprises an intricate process to repair damaged tissue. Research on plant extracts with properties to expedite wound healing has been of interest, particularly their ability to enhance the stemness of keratinocyte stem cells. Hence, the present study aims to determine the wound healin...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Preeyaporn Plaimee Phiboonchaiyanan, Saraporn Harikarnpakdee, Thanapat Songsak, Verisa Chowjarean
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-01-01
Series:Advances in Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/9288481
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849766772552499200
author Preeyaporn Plaimee Phiboonchaiyanan
Saraporn Harikarnpakdee
Thanapat Songsak
Verisa Chowjarean
author_facet Preeyaporn Plaimee Phiboonchaiyanan
Saraporn Harikarnpakdee
Thanapat Songsak
Verisa Chowjarean
author_sort Preeyaporn Plaimee Phiboonchaiyanan
collection DOAJ
description Wound healing comprises an intricate process to repair damaged tissue. Research on plant extracts with properties to expedite wound healing has been of interest, particularly their ability to enhance the stemness of keratinocyte stem cells. Hence, the present study aims to determine the wound healing and stemness potentiation properties of an ethanolic extract derived from Cucurbita moschata fruit pulp (PKE). Human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and primary skin fibroblast cells were used in this study. The migration of the cells was examined by using a scratch wound healing assay, and spheroid behavior was determined by using a spheroid formation assay. The proteins related to migration and stemness were further measured by using Western blotting to explore the mechanism of action of PKE. The methods used to evaluate PKE’s antioxidant properties were 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging, ABTS radical scavenging activity, and superoxide anion radical scavenging (SOSA) assays. The phytochemistry of the PKE was investigated using phytochemical screening and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The results of this study indicate that nontoxic concentrations of PKE increase the rate of migration and spheroid formation. Mechanistically, PKE increased the expression of the migratory-related protein active FAK (phosphorylated FAK), and the subsequence increased the level of p-AKT. The expression of stem cell marker CD133, upstream protein signaling β-catenin, and self-renewal transcription factor Nanog was increased. The PKE also possessed scavenging properties against DPPH, ABTS, and SOSA. The phytochemistry analyses exhibited the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, xanthones, triterpenes, and steroids. Additionally, bioactive compounds such as ɑ-tocopherol, riboflavin, protocatechuic acid, β-carotene, and luteolin were detected. The presence of these chemicals in PKE may contribute to its antioxidant, stem cell potentiation, and wound-healing effects. The findings could be beneficial in the identification of valuable natural resources that possess the capacity to be used in the process of wound healing through the potentiation of stemness via a readily detectable molecular mechanism.
format Article
id doaj-art-b07c19d6b0fa4c38b68203cef022e44e
institution DOAJ
issn 2633-4690
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Advances in Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences
spelling doaj-art-b07c19d6b0fa4c38b68203cef022e44e2025-08-20T03:04:27ZengWileyAdvances in Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences2633-46902024-01-01202410.1155/2024/9288481In Vitro Evaluation of Wound Healing, Stemness Potentiation, Antioxidant Activity, and Phytochemical Profile of Cucurbita moschata Duchesne Fruit Pulp Ethanolic ExtractPreeyaporn Plaimee Phiboonchaiyanan0Saraporn Harikarnpakdee1Thanapat Songsak2Verisa Chowjarean3Department of PharmacologyDepartment of Industrial PharmacyDepartment of PharmacognosyDepartment of Pharmaceutical TechnologyWound healing comprises an intricate process to repair damaged tissue. Research on plant extracts with properties to expedite wound healing has been of interest, particularly their ability to enhance the stemness of keratinocyte stem cells. Hence, the present study aims to determine the wound healing and stemness potentiation properties of an ethanolic extract derived from Cucurbita moschata fruit pulp (PKE). Human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and primary skin fibroblast cells were used in this study. The migration of the cells was examined by using a scratch wound healing assay, and spheroid behavior was determined by using a spheroid formation assay. The proteins related to migration and stemness were further measured by using Western blotting to explore the mechanism of action of PKE. The methods used to evaluate PKE’s antioxidant properties were 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging, ABTS radical scavenging activity, and superoxide anion radical scavenging (SOSA) assays. The phytochemistry of the PKE was investigated using phytochemical screening and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The results of this study indicate that nontoxic concentrations of PKE increase the rate of migration and spheroid formation. Mechanistically, PKE increased the expression of the migratory-related protein active FAK (phosphorylated FAK), and the subsequence increased the level of p-AKT. The expression of stem cell marker CD133, upstream protein signaling β-catenin, and self-renewal transcription factor Nanog was increased. The PKE also possessed scavenging properties against DPPH, ABTS, and SOSA. The phytochemistry analyses exhibited the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, xanthones, triterpenes, and steroids. Additionally, bioactive compounds such as ɑ-tocopherol, riboflavin, protocatechuic acid, β-carotene, and luteolin were detected. The presence of these chemicals in PKE may contribute to its antioxidant, stem cell potentiation, and wound-healing effects. The findings could be beneficial in the identification of valuable natural resources that possess the capacity to be used in the process of wound healing through the potentiation of stemness via a readily detectable molecular mechanism.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/9288481
spellingShingle Preeyaporn Plaimee Phiboonchaiyanan
Saraporn Harikarnpakdee
Thanapat Songsak
Verisa Chowjarean
In Vitro Evaluation of Wound Healing, Stemness Potentiation, Antioxidant Activity, and Phytochemical Profile of Cucurbita moschata Duchesne Fruit Pulp Ethanolic Extract
Advances in Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences
title In Vitro Evaluation of Wound Healing, Stemness Potentiation, Antioxidant Activity, and Phytochemical Profile of Cucurbita moschata Duchesne Fruit Pulp Ethanolic Extract
title_full In Vitro Evaluation of Wound Healing, Stemness Potentiation, Antioxidant Activity, and Phytochemical Profile of Cucurbita moschata Duchesne Fruit Pulp Ethanolic Extract
title_fullStr In Vitro Evaluation of Wound Healing, Stemness Potentiation, Antioxidant Activity, and Phytochemical Profile of Cucurbita moschata Duchesne Fruit Pulp Ethanolic Extract
title_full_unstemmed In Vitro Evaluation of Wound Healing, Stemness Potentiation, Antioxidant Activity, and Phytochemical Profile of Cucurbita moschata Duchesne Fruit Pulp Ethanolic Extract
title_short In Vitro Evaluation of Wound Healing, Stemness Potentiation, Antioxidant Activity, and Phytochemical Profile of Cucurbita moschata Duchesne Fruit Pulp Ethanolic Extract
title_sort in vitro evaluation of wound healing stemness potentiation antioxidant activity and phytochemical profile of cucurbita moschata duchesne fruit pulp ethanolic extract
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2024/9288481
work_keys_str_mv AT preeyapornplaimeephiboonchaiyanan invitroevaluationofwoundhealingstemnesspotentiationantioxidantactivityandphytochemicalprofileofcucurbitamoschataduchesnefruitpulpethanolicextract
AT sarapornharikarnpakdee invitroevaluationofwoundhealingstemnesspotentiationantioxidantactivityandphytochemicalprofileofcucurbitamoschataduchesnefruitpulpethanolicextract
AT thanapatsongsak invitroevaluationofwoundhealingstemnesspotentiationantioxidantactivityandphytochemicalprofileofcucurbitamoschataduchesnefruitpulpethanolicextract
AT verisachowjarean invitroevaluationofwoundhealingstemnesspotentiationantioxidantactivityandphytochemicalprofileofcucurbitamoschataduchesnefruitpulpethanolicextract