Andrographolide promotes the ex vivo expansion of CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells derived from human umbilical cord blood

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) units are an alternative source of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for allogeneic stem cell transplants. A large quantity of HSCs is needed but the low number of accessible cells from UCB has been a significant limitation. Improving the ex vivo growth of HSCs while preserving their functioning is required. Here, we report that andrographolide (AP) enhanced the expansion of human UCB-derived HSCs (HSPCs) and pro-moted primitive HSCs (CD34⁺CD38^-CD90⁺). AP also improved HSC functionality, evidenced by increased growth of colony-forming units and multilineage differentiation. AP upregulated genes involved in the Wnt/β-catenin and Notch signaling pathways. AP also modulated signaling pathways involved in HSC self-renewal, proliferation, survival, and differentiation, demonstrated by Nanostring analysis. The results of this study suggest that andrographolide enhances ex vivo UCB-HSC expansion while maintaining functionality and has potential for treatment of hematological diseases.