Tetragonia tetragonoides (Pall.) Kuntze Restores Blood Perfusion from Hind-Limb Ischemic Mice

Tetragonia tetragonoides (Pall.) Kuntze (TTK) is grown for the edible leaves, and can be used as food. And which commonly called Beonhaengcho in Republic of Korea. TTK is found along the seaside of the Jeju-Island and it has long been consumed as a food for women’s health. We investigated the effects of TTK on peripheral circulation disorder during menopausal transition and/or menopause in a hind-limb ischemic (HLI) mouse model. Chemotactic motility and tube formation of vascular epithelial cells were evaluated in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Female C57BL/6 mice were fed a TTK (150 or 450 mg/kg/day) for four weeks and the rate of blood flow was assessed using a laser Doppler after HLI. TTK treatment significantly increased cell migration and the branch interval value of tubular structure in a dose-dependently. In the TTK treatment group, blood flow rate was significant induced at 7, 14, and 28 days after HLI, compared with the vehicle. TTK treatment also an increase in capillary density, and the highest levels of pERK(1/2), pAkt, pPLCγ1 and pFAK proteins compared to the vehicle control. These results suggest that extract of TTK may ameliorate the blood flow via improvement of peripheral angiogenesis under hind-limb ischemic stress in a menopausal mouse model.