Anti-angiogenic activity of convallamaroside, the steroidal saponin isolated from the rhizomes and roots of Convallaria majalis L.

Angiogenesis plays a pivotal role in tumor growth and represents a key target for chemopreventive intervention. Despite the large number of existing angiogenesis inhibitors, there is still a great demand for new anti-angiogenic compounds. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of administration of convallamaroside, a steroidal saponin isolated from the lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis L.) to mice on tumor angiogenesis reaction induced by tumor cells. Angiogenic activity was evaluated by mice intradermal test. Convallamaroside showed a significant inhibitory effect on the number of new vessels induced in mice by human kidney tumor cells (p < 0.001). Similarly, administration of convallamaroside to mice decreased the number of new vessels induced by sarcoma mice cells (p < 0.001).