Fig. 5

Effect of methanol extract of B. aegyptiaca on tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells HUVECs on Matrigel. Phase-contrast micrographs showing the effects of MBA and suramin on the differentiation of HUVECs are presented. a Control group (vehicle treated 1 % DMSO), depicting that the endothelial cells grown on the three-dimensional Matrigel media differentiated into branching structures to form capillary tube-like structures composed of multiple cells with intercellular spaces or lumens. The image clearly exhibits prominent areas covered tubes (arrows), loops (Lo), and branching points (b). b Treatment with MBA (35 μg/mL) caused disruption of bridges (arrow head) and branching points. c Treatment with MBA (70 μg/mL) caused notable disassembly in the tube-like structures. d Treatment with suramin (100 μg/ml) caused more than 90 % abrogation of the bridges in the tube-like structures and branching points. Images were taken under an inverted phase-contrast microscope at4X). e Graphical illustration of the dose-dependent inhibitory effect of MBA on the length and width of the capillary-like structures in HUVECs. All values are represented as the mean ± SD (n = 6); * and *** indicate significant differences of p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively, compared with the control-treated group