Research Article Clinopodium tomentosum (Kunth) Govaerts Leaf Extract Influences in vitro Cell Proliferation and Angiogenesis on Primary Cultures of Porcine Aortic Endothelial Cells Irvin Tubon, 1 Chiara Bernardini , 2 Fabiana Antognoni , 3 Roberto Mandrioli , 3 Giulia Potente, 3 Martina Bertocchi , 2 Gabriela Vaca , 4 Augusta Zannoni , 2,5 Roberta Salaroli , 2 and Monica Forni 2,5 1 Grupo de investigación GITAFEC, Escuela de Bioquímica y Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Riobamba. EC060155, Ecuador 2 Department of Veterinary Medical Science, University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy 3 Department for Life Quality Studies, University of Bologna, 47921 Rimini, Italy 4 Grupo de Investigación Biomédica (GIB), Carrera de Odontologia, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, Universidad Regional Autónoma de Los Andes UNIANDES, Ambato EC180150, Ecuador 5 Health Sciences and Technologies—Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research (CIRI-SDV), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy Correspondence should be addressed to Roberta Salaroli; roberta.salaroli@unibo.it Received 31 March 2020; Revised 23 June 2020; Accepted 1 July 2020; Published 18 August 2020 Academic Editor: Ange Mouithys-Mickalad Copyright © 2020 Irvin Tubon et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Clinopodium tomentosum (Kunth) Govaerts is an endemic species in Ecuador, where it is used as an anti-inflammatory plant to treat respiratory and digestive affections. In this work, effects of a Clinopodium tomentosum ethanolic extract (CTEE), prepared from aerial parts of the plant, were investigated on vascular endothelium functions. In particularly, angiogenesis activity was evaluated, using primary cultures of porcine aortic endothelial cells (pAECs). Cells were cultured for 24 h in the presence of CTEE different concentrations (10, 25, 50, and 100 μg/ml); no viability alterations were found in the 10-50 μg/ml range, while a slight, but significant, proliferative effect was observed at the highest dose. In addition, treatment with CTEE was able to rescue LPS-induced injury in terms of cell viability. The CTEE ability to affect angiogenesis was evaluated by scratch test analysis and by an in vitro capillary-like network assay. Treatment with 25-50 μg/ml of extract caused a significant increase in pAEC’s migration and tube formation capabilities compared to untreated cells, as results from the increased master junctions’ number. On the other hand, CTEE at 100 μg/ml did not induce the same effects. Quantitative PCR data demonstrated that FLK-1 mRNA expression significantly increased at a CTEE dose of 25 μg/ml. The CTEE phytochemical composition was assessed through HPLC-DAD; rosmarinic acid among phenolic acids and hesperidin among flavonoids were found as major phenolic components. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content assays showed that flavonoids are the most abundant class of polyphenols. The CTEE antioxidant activity was also showed by means of the DPPH and ORAC assays. Results indicate that CTEE possesses an angiogenic capacity in a dose-dependent manner; this represents an initial step in elucidating the mechanism of the therapeutic use of the plant. 1. Introduction Medicinal plants are presently in demand, and their accep- tance is increasing progressively. According to the most recent WHO Report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM), several countries worldwide are develop- ing guidelines aimed at a good harmonization of T&CM therapies within their health care systems [1]. An optimal exploitation of the potential contribution of traditional med- icine to the health care system was indeed identified as a key Hindawi Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity Volume 2020, Article ID 2984613, 11 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/2984613