Correlation of anti-oxidant, anti-angiogenic, and cytotoxic activity of tanacetum parthenium compared with amlodipine using chorioallantoic membrane assay

Angiogenesis is the migration of endothelial cells to form new blood vessels at sites of tissue regeneration or growth. Its effects are readily apparent in diseases such as cancer, where the tumor can be given with an internal blood supply and become highly vascularized, aiding in its growth and metastatic potential. Given this, we sought to evaluate the anti-angiogenic effect of a natural herb formulation from Tanacetum parthenium (the feverfew plant), as compared to amlodipine, a United States FDA approved calcium channel blocker. The anti-angiogenic activity of amlodipine and Tanacetum parthenium were evaluated in vitro using a chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Chick embryos were treated with each respective substance at 10^-4, 10^-5, and10^-6 M for various time intervals. Anti-angiogenic scoring was conducted for Tanacetum parthenium and amlodipine by analyzing the treated embryos with semi-quantitative rankings. According to the results both Tanacetum parthenium and amlodipine significantly decreased the formation of new blood vessels when compared to control treatments. We believe that anti-angiogenic properties within the herbal supplement were due to the abundance of parthenolides as a main chemical constituent. Anti-oxidant and cytotoxic activities were further evaluated to determine the anti-cancer potential of parthenolides. These results suggest that amlodipine and Tanacetum parthenium have anti-angiogenic activity. Thus, both of these drugs may be used as a potential source for protection against cancer.