14-Deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide Promotes Ex Vivo Expansion of Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells through Stemness-Related Gene Regulation

). Functional assays reveal that 14-DDA enhances colony-forming unit output, which preserves multilineage differentiation potential. Furthermore, 14-DDA activates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, indicating a potential mechanism for supporting stem cell self-renewal. Gene expression profiling reveals upregulation of stemness- and proliferation-associated genes, while suppression of genes is related to differentiation, stress responses, and oncogenesis. These findings suggest that 14-DDA promotes the expansion of functional HSPCs while maintaining their primitive phenotype and reducing oncogenic risk, highlighting its potential as a natural small molecule for enhancing hematopoietic stem cell-based therapies.