Proangiogenic and Collagen-Promoting Effects of a 70% Ethanol Extract of Grateloupia angusta in Cutaneous Wound Models

Jeong, Seongtae; Lee, Seahyoung; Kim, Bomi; Moon, Hanbyeol; Kim, Hojin; Yeon, Myung Hun; Choi, Jung-Won; Kim, Sang Woo; Kim, Il-Kwon; Song, Byeong-Wook; Han, Gyoonhee; Lim, Soyeon

doi:10.3390/ijms27073138

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Proangiogenic and Collagen-Promoting Effects of a 70% Ethanol Extract of Grateloupia angusta in Cutaneous Wound Models

by

Seongtae Jeong

^1,2,†

,

Seahyoung Lee

^2,3,4,†,

Bomi Kim

^2,4,

Hanbyeol Moon

⁵,

Hojin Kim

⁶,

Myung Hun Yeon

⁷,

Jung-Won Choi

^2,4,

Sang Woo Kim

^2,3,4

,

Il-Kwon Kim

^2,3,4,

Byeong-Wook Song

^2,3,4

,

Gyoonhee Han

^1,* and

Soyeon Lim

^2,3,4,*

¹

The Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Integrative Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea

²

Institute of Translational Aging Research, Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary’s Hospital, Incheon Metropolitan City 22711, Republic of Korea

³

Department of Convergence Science, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si 25601, Republic of Korea

⁴

Medical Science Research Institute, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon Metropolitan City 22711, Republic of Korea

⁵

Department of Integrated Omics for Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea

⁶

Department for Medical Science, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si 25601, Republic of Korea

⁷

Marine. Inc., 38 Heungan-daero, 427 Beon-gil, Dongan-gu, Anyang-si 14059, Republic of Korea

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors shared co-first autorship.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(7), 3138; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27073138

Submission received: 19 December 2025 / Revised: 20 March 2026 / Accepted: 28 March 2026 / Published: 30 March 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches for Tissue Repair and Tissue Regeneration)

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Abstract

Marine red algae have been reported to contain a variety of bioactive compounds that are effective in promoting wound-healing processes. In the present study, the wound-healing potential of Grateloupia angusta, which has been rarely explored, was examined using in vitro and in vivo models. A 70% ethanol extract of G. angusta (GAE) was prepared and profiled by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Its effects on the wound-healing process were examined using three different types of cells that participate in this process, namely, Raw264.7, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). Various assays including migration/scratch, tube formation, procollagen type I C-peptide production, and Western blotting were used to investigate the therapeutic potential of GAE. In vivo efficacy was tested in a mouse full-thickness skin incision wound model. In HUVECs, GAE increased viability, migration, tube formation, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. Raw264.7 cells also showed increased VEGF production following GAE treatment. In HDFs, GAE did not affect proliferation and migration, but did increase collagen production. In mice, GAE accelerated wound closure from day 3 to day 5 and increased granulation/matrix with higher proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) expression after a single topical application. In addition, keratin 14 (K14) expression was restored in GAE-treated wound tissues, suggesting improved epidermal re-epithelialization. Taken together, GAE promotes matrix production and pro-angiogenic activity in vitro and improves early wound repair in vivo, suggesting that G. angusta is a promising marine-derived candidate for wound-healing adjuvants. The results of the present study support further bioassay-guided fractionation and mechanistic validation in future studies.

Keywords: Grateloupia angusta; marine extract; wound healing; endothelial cells; dermal fibroblasts; Raw264.7

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MDPI and ACS Style

Jeong, S.; Lee, S.; Kim, B.; Moon, H.; Kim, H.; Yeon, M.H.; Choi, J.-W.; Kim, S.W.; Kim, I.-K.; Song, B.-W.; et al. Proangiogenic and Collagen-Promoting Effects of a 70% Ethanol Extract of Grateloupia angusta in Cutaneous Wound Models. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27, 3138. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27073138

AMA Style

Jeong S, Lee S, Kim B, Moon H, Kim H, Yeon MH, Choi J-W, Kim SW, Kim I-K, Song B-W, et al. Proangiogenic and Collagen-Promoting Effects of a 70% Ethanol Extract of Grateloupia angusta in Cutaneous Wound Models. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2026; 27(7):3138. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27073138

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jeong, Seongtae, Seahyoung Lee, Bomi Kim, Hanbyeol Moon, Hojin Kim, Myung Hun Yeon, Jung-Won Choi, Sang Woo Kim, Il-Kwon Kim, Byeong-Wook Song, and et al. 2026. "Proangiogenic and Collagen-Promoting Effects of a 70% Ethanol Extract of Grateloupia angusta in Cutaneous Wound Models" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 27, no. 7: 3138. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27073138

APA Style

Jeong, S., Lee, S., Kim, B., Moon, H., Kim, H., Yeon, M. H., Choi, J.-W., Kim, S. W., Kim, I.-K., Song, B.-W., Han, G., & Lim, S. (2026). Proangiogenic and Collagen-Promoting Effects of a 70% Ethanol Extract of Grateloupia angusta in Cutaneous Wound Models. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 27(7), 3138. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27073138

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Proangiogenic and Collagen-Promoting Effects of a 70% Ethanol Extract of Grateloupia angusta in Cutaneous Wound Models

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