Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
·
2020
·
IF 1.813
Yuan-Yuan Li,Nan-Qu Huang,Fei Feng,Ying Li,Xiu-Mei Luo,Lin Tu,Jing-Qiu Qu,Yi-Man Xie,Yong Luo
Icaritin (ICT) is the main component in the traditional Chinese herb Epimedium, and it has been shown to have anti-Alzheimer’s disease (AD) effects, but its neuroprotective effects and the pharmacological mechanisms are unclear. In the present study, senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice were randomly divided into a model group and an ICT-treated group. Learning and memory abilities were detected by the Morris water maze assay, and the expression of amyloid beta protein (Aβ) and β-site APP cleavage enzyme 1 (BACE1) was determined by Western blotting and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Histological changes in CA1 and CA3 were detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining (H&E staining), and the immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect the expression and localization of Bax and Bcl-2. The results showed that compared with the SAMP8 mice, the ICT-treated SAMP8 mice showed improvements in spatial learning and memory retention. In addition, the number of necrotic cells and the morphological changes in CA1 and CA3 areas were significantly alleviated in the group of ICT-treated SAMP8 mice, and the expression of BACE1, Aβ1-42 levels, and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in the hippocampus was obviously decreased in the ICT-treated group compared with the control group. The results demonstrated that ICT reduced BACE-1 levels, the contents of Aβ1-42, and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, suggesting that ICT might have potential therapeutic benefits by delaying or modifying the progression of AD.
✓ 已验证
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
XENOBIOTICA
·
2018
·
IF 1.857
Li Wang,Xiaodan Hong,Zhihong Yao,Yi Dai,Guoping Zhao,Zifei Qin,Baojian Wu,Frank J. Gonzalez,Xinsheng Yao
1. Icaritin is a natural flavonoid with anti-osteoporosis activity. This study aimed to characterize icaritin glucuronidation by pooled human liver microsomes (HLM) and pooled human intestine microsomes (HIM), and to determine the contribution of individual UDP-glucuronosyltrans-ferase (UGT) enzyme to icaritin glucuronidation.2. Glucuronidation rates were determined by incubating icaritin with uridine diphosphate glucuronic acid (UDPGA)-supplemented microsomes. Kinetic parameters were derived by appropriate model fitting. Relative activity factors and activity correlation analysis were performed to identify main UGT isoforms.3. UGT1A3, 1A7, 1A8, 1A9 and 2B7 were mainly responsible for catalyzing the formation of two glucuronides (G1 and G2). Icaritin 3-O-glucuronidation (G1) was significantly correlated with Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) glucuronidation (r = 0.787, p = 0.002), propofol glucuronidation (r = 0.661, p = 0.019) and Zidovudine (AZT) glucuronidation (r = 0.805, p = 0.002). Similarly, icaritin 7-O-glucuronidation (G2) was also correlated with CDCA glucuronidation (r = 0.640, p = 0.025), propofol glucuronidation (r = 0.592, p = 0.043) and AZT glucuronidation (r = 0.661, p = 0.019). In addition, UGT1A3, 1A9 and 2B7 contributed 37.5, 33.8 and 21.3% for G1 in pooled HLM, respectively. Also, UGT1A3, 1A9 and 2B7 contributed 34.3, 20.0 and 8.6% for G2 in pooled HLM, respectively.4. Icaritin was subjected to significant glucuronidation, wherein UGT1A3, 1A7, 1A8, 1A9 and 2B7 were main contributing enzymes.
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Journal of Agriculture and Food Research
·
2026
·
IF 6.2
Zhiyun Peng,Li Zhao,Yan He,Guangcheng Wang
Epimedii herba ( Epimedium spp.) is a medicinal and edible plant, and its main active ingredient is icaritin. This study investigates the inhibitory mechanism of icaritin against α-glucosidase and cooperates with acarbose to treat diabetes. Fluorescence quenching, synchronous fluorescence, CD spectroscopy, ANS fluorescence probe, and molecular docking results suggested that after the binding of icaritin. The internal fluorescence of α-glucosidase was statically quenched, and the microenvironment and conformation of α-glucosidase were altered by hydrogen bonding interaction. Interestingly, the combination of acarbose and icaritin exhibited a strong synergistic inhibitory effect. Oral glucose tolerance tests showed that icaritin and acarbose could synergistically reduce postprandial blood glucose (PBG) in mice. In summary, this study highlights the potential of Epimedii herba as a novel functional food for the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes, contributing to its development in nutraceutical applications.
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
MOLECULES
·
2025
·Vol. 30
·期 8
·1667
·
IF 4.6
Zenan Chen,Wei Li,Yan Zhao,Dingrui Liu,Jiahong Han,Enbo Cai
Tumorigenesis and progression are closely associated with apoptosis and primarily regulated by mitochondria, which are considered major targets for cancer therapy. In this study, twelve novel icaritin (ICT) derivatives were designed and synthesized, four of which were specifically targeted to mitochondria. Biological studies demonstrated that all compounds containing triphenylphosphine (TPP+) exhibited a substantial increase in antitumor activity compared to ICT and control compounds while also exhibiting notable selectivity for tumor cells over normal cells. Among these derivatives, Mito-ICT-4 exhibited the strongest antiproliferative effect, with an IC50value of 0.73 ± 0.06 μM for BEL-7402 cells, which is 29 times lower than that of ICT, and an IC50value of 67.11 ± 2.09 μM for HEK293 cells, indicating approximately 33-fold selectivity for tumor cells. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that Mito-ICT-4 significantly accumulated in the mitochondria of BEL-7402 cells, with the level of accumulation approximately 2.5 times greater than that of ICT. Further investigations demonstrated that upon entering the mitochondria of tumor cells, Mito-ICT-4 downregulated SIRT3 protein expression, disrupted intracellular redox homeostasis, and led to a substantial increase in mitochondrial ROS levels, abnormal CypD-dependent MPTP opening, mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization, and ROS release into the cytoplasm, ultimately triggering ROS-mediated apoptosis in BEL-7402 cells. Transcriptomic analysis identified differentially expressed genes and enriched pathways, highlighting the ROS-mediated p38-MAPK signaling pathway as a key mediator of Mito-ICT-4-induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. The effects of Mito-ICT-4 on the expression of key genes (SIRT3, CypD, P-MKK6, P-P38, and DDIT3) were further validated by qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis, with results aligning with transcriptomic data. The novel ICT derivatives synthesized in this study, with mitochondria-targeting functionality, provide a basis for the development of targeted antitumor drugs.
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子