Unveiling the Therapeutic Potential of Herba Epimedii: Enhancing Bone Healing Through Cytoskeletal Regulation of RhoA/Rock1 Pathway

Herba Epimedii is widely used to promote bone healing, and their active ingredients are total flavonoids of Epimedium (TFE). Ras homolog gene family member A / Rho-associated protein kinase (RhoA/Rock), an important pathway regulating the cytoskeleton, has been proven to affect bone formation. However, whether TFE promotes bone healing via this pathway remains unclear. In this study, the therapeutic effects of TFE were estimated using micro-computed tomography and hematoxylin and eosin staining of pathological sections. F-actin in osteoblasts was stained to investigate the protective effects of TFE on the cytoskeleton. Its regulatory effects on the RhoA/Rock1 pathway were explored using RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis. Besides, flow cytometry, alkaline phosphatase and nodule calcification staining were performed to evaluate the effects on osteogenesis. The bone healing in rats was improved, the cytoskeletal damage in osteoblasts was reduced, the RhoA/Rock1 pathway was downregulated, and osteogenesis was enhanced after TFE treatment. Thus, TFE can promote bone formation at least partially by regulating the expression of key genes and proteins in the cytoskeleton. The findings of this study provided evidence for clinical applications and would contribute to a better understanding of Epimedium's mechanisms in treating bone defects.

Prenylated Flavonoid Glycosides with PCSK9 mRNA Expression Inhibitory Activity from the Aerial Parts of Epimedium koreanum

Phytochemical investigation on the n-BuOH-soluble fraction of the aerial parts of Epimedium koreanum using the PCSK9 mRNA monitoring assay led to the identification of four previously undescribed acylated flavonoid glycosides and 18 known compounds. The structures of new compounds were elucidated by NMR, MS, and other chemical methods. All isolated compounds were tested for their inhibitory activity against PCSK9 mRNA expression in HepG2 cells. Of the isolates, compounds 6, 7, 10, 15, and 17–22 were found to significantly inhibit PCSK9 mRNA expression. In particular, compound 7 was shown to increase LDLR mRNA expression. Thus, compound 7 may potentially increase LDL uptake and lower cholesterol levels in the blood.

In vitro screening and toxic mechanism exploring of leading components with potential hepatotoxicity of Herba Epimedii extracts

Herba Epimedii is a famous Chinese edible herb, and due to its potential hepatotoxic effects, the safety associated with this herb has attracted a great deal of attention. In this study, the components of four types of the Herba Epimedii extracts were identified by HPLC-MS/MS. Among these components, 11 components that were present in all four extracts and could be obtained as reference substances were evaluated for their ability of cytotoxicity in HL-7702 and HepG2 cells, resulting in the identification of icarisid I and sagittatoside A as the most relevant with respect to the toxicity of the extracts. The targeted toxicological effects were further investigated using a series of correlated biological indicators to elucidate potentially hepatotoxic mechanisms. The results showed that the extracts and the selected compounds had varying degrees of influence on the leakage of ALT, AST and LDH; the activity of SOD, GSH and MDA; the increase in intercellular ROS; and the decrease in MMP. Among the tested substances, the ethanol extracts exhibited stronger hepatotoxicity, with icarisid I and sagittatoside A correlating with this toxic effect, and the hepatoxic mechanisms of which may be associated with damaged cell structure, increased oxidative stress and induction of apoptosis.

Determination of geographical origin and icariin content of Herba Epimedii using near infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics was used to discriminate the geographical origin of Herba Epimedii in this work. Four different classification models, namely discriminant analysis (DA), back propagation neural network (BPNN), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), and support vector machine (SVM), were constructed, and their performances in terms of recognition accuracy were compared. The results indicated that the SVM model was superior over the other models in the geographical origin identification of Herba Epimedii. The recognition rates of the optimum SVM model were up to 100% for the calibration set and 94.44% for the prediction set, respectively. In addition, the feasibility of NIR spectroscopy with the CARS-PLSR calibration model in prediction of icariin content of Herba Epimedii was also investigated. The determination coefficient (R_P²) and root-mean-square error (RMSEP) for prediction set were 0.9269 and 0.0480, respectively. It can be concluded that the NIR spectroscopy technique in combination with chemometrics has great potential in determination of geographical origin and icariin content of Herba Epimedii. This study can provide a valuable reference for rapid quality control of food products.

The reason leading to the increase of icariin in Herba Epimedii by heating process

Icariin (ICA), a major flavonoid responsible for the pharmacological actions of Herba Epimedii, was found to be increased significantly after the heating process. The increase of ICA was considered to be due to the transformation of other flavonoids, in particular, epimedin (EPI) A-C. This novel study demonstrated that the increase of ICA in Epimedium. koreanum was induced mainly through the conversion of 3'''-carbonyl-2''-β-l-quinovosyl icariin (CQICA) by deglycosylation during the heating process. Furthermore, the comparative analysis of the changes of CQICA and ICA in four raw Epimedium species (EPs) designated in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia revealed that the increase of ICA during the heating process was associated with the presence of CQICA in EPs. The present study provided scientific evidence for the conversion of CQICA into ICA, correcting the understanding of the transformation of EPI A-C into ICA. The results provided a reasonable scientific basis for the traditional use of processed Herba Epimedii, and might be helpful for the quality assessment of EPs.

Effects of the combined extracts of Herba Epimedii and Fructus Ligustrilucidi on airway remodeling in the asthmatic rats with the treatment of budesonide

BACKGROUND

Asthma is characterized by chronic airway inflammation, leading to structura1 changes in the airway, collectively termed airway remodeling. Airway remodeling is thought to contribute to airway hyper responsiveness and irreversible airflow limitation. The combination of Herba Epimedii (HE) and Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) decoction and the systemic administration of glucocorticoids (GC) had a synergistic inhibitory action on airway inflammation in the asthmatic model rats. However, the effects of the combination on airway remodeling have not been studied and compared. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the co-administration of combined extracts of HE and FLL with inhaled GC (budesonide) on airway remodeling in the rat asthmatic model induced by ovalbumin (OVA).

METHODS

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were sensitized to intraperitoneal OVA followed by repetitive OVA challenge for 7 weeks. Treatments included extracts of HE and FLL (Extracts for short, 100 mg/kg by gastric perfusion), budesonide (1 mg budesonide suspension in 50 ml sterile physiological saline, 3 rats in an ultrasonic nebulizer by nebulized inhabation with a flow of 1.6 ml/min for 30 min), and co-administration of extracts of HE and FLL with budesonide (Co-administration for short) for 4 weeks. Lung histomorphometry and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cell count were assessed 24 h after the final OVA challenge. Levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IgE were measured by ELISA. Expressions of Collagen I and Collagen III were tested by immunohistology. Expressions of transforming growth factor (TGF) -β1, TGF-β2 and Smads mRNA were measured by quantitative real-time PCR.

RESULTS

Extracts, budesonide and Co-administration significantly reduced allergen-induced increases in the serum levels of IL-4, IL-5 and IgE, the number of eosinophils in BALF, goblet cell hyperplasia, Collagen III integral optical density (IOD) and the mRNA expression of TGF-β2 and Smad2. Extracts and Co-administration could depress the IOD level of Collagen I and the positive area of Collagen I and Collagen III. Budesonide and Co-administration significantly alleviated the thickening of airway wall. Only Co-administration significantly decreased collagen deposition according to the morphometry of Masson's-stained lung sections, the thickening of airway smooth muscle layer, the number of lymphocytes in BALF and the mRNA expression of TGF-β1 and Smad3, and this was associated with a significant increase in levels of Smad7 mRNA.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggested that the combination of budesonide and the herbal extracts had a better synergistic effect on airway remodeling in OVA-reduced asthma rats than the single use of budesonide.

Characterization of a protein-bound polysaccharide from Herba Epimedii and its metabolic mechanism in chronic fatigue syndrome

OBJECTIVES

Herba Epimedii is one of the famous Traditional Chinese Medicines used to treat the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The polysaccharides are the main active components in H. epimedii. The aim of this study is to discover the therapeutic effect and metabolic mechanism of H. epimedii polysaccharides against CFS.

METHODS

The polysaccharide conjugates named HEP2-a were isolated from the leaves of H. epimedii using a water extraction method, and the general physicochemical properties of HEP2-a were analysed. In addition, a CFS rat model was established, and then, urinary metabonomic studies were performed using gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) in combination with multivariate statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The physicochemical properties revealed that HEP2-a had an average molecular weight of 13.6×10⁴Da and consisted of mannose (4.41%), rhamnose (5.43%), glucose (31.26%), galactose (27.07%), arabinose (23.43%), and galacturonic acid (8.40%). The amino acids in HEP2-a include glutamate, cysteine, leucine, tyrosine, lysine, and histidine. Molecular morphology studies revealed many highly curled spherical particles with diameters of 5-10µm in solids and 100-200nm for particles in water. Five metabolites in the HEP2-a group were oppositely and significantly changed compared to the CFS model group.

CONCLUSION

Two metabolic pathways were identified as significant metabolic pathways involved with HEP2-a. The therapeutic effects of HEP2-a on CFS were partially due to the restoration of these disturbed pathways.

Epimedium koreanum Nakai and its main constituent icariin suppress lipid accumulation during adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes

Obesity is associated with a number of metabolic abnormalities such as type 2 diabetes and has become a major health problem worldwide. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Epimedium koreanum Nakai (Herba Epimedii, HE) and its main constituent icariin on the adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. HE extract and icariin significantly reduced lipid accumulation and suppressed the expressions of PPARγ, C/EBPα, and SREBP-1c in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. They also inhibited fatty acid synthase (FAS), acyl-Co A synthase (ACS1), and perilipin. Moreover, HE extract and icariin markedly increased the phosphorylation of AMPK. These results indicated that HE extract and icariin can inhibit the adipocyte differentiation through downregulation of the adipogenic transcription factors, suggesting that HE containing icariin may be used as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment and prevention of obesity.

Rapid measurement of epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C, icariin, and moisture in Herba Epimedii using near infrared spectroscopy

In this work, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was used in combination with chemometrics to determine the epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C, icariin, and moisture contents of Herba Epimedii. The variable selection method genetic algorithm (GA) and regression tool support vector machine (SVM) were used to improve the model performance. Four different calibration models, namely Full-PLS, GA-PLS, Full-SVM, and GA-SVM, were established, and their performances in terms of prediction accuracy and model robustness were systemically studied and compared. In conclusion, the performances of the models based on the efficient variables selected through GA were better than those based on full spectra, and the nonlinear models were superior over the linear models. In addition, the GA-SVM model demonstrated the optimal performance in predicting five quality parameters (viz. epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C, icariin, and moisture). For GA-SVM, the determination coefficient (R_p²), root-mean-square error (RMSEP), and residual predictive deviation (RPD) for the prediction set were 0.9015, 0.0268%, and 2.20 for epimedin A; 0.9089, 0.0656%, and 3.08 for epimedin B; 0.9056, 0.1787%, and 3.18 for epimedin C; 0.8192, 0.0657%, and 2.26 for icariin; and 0.9367, 0.2062%, and 4.12 for moisture, correspondingly. Results indicated that NIR spectroscopy coupled with GA-SVM calibration can be used as a reliable alternative strategy to measure the epimedin A, epimedin B, epimedin C, icariin, and moisture contents of Herba Epimedii because this technique is fast, economic, and nondestructive compared with traditional chemical methods.

The Anticancer Properties of Herba Epimedii and Its Main Bioactive Componentsicariin and Icariside II

Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide. Compounds derived from traditional Chinese medicines have been an important source of anticancer drugs and adjuvant agents to potentiate the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs and improve the side effects of chemotherapy. HerbaEpimedii is one of most popular herbs used in China traditionally for the treatment of multiple diseases, including osteoporosis, sexual dysfunction, hypertension and common inflammatory diseases. Studies show HerbaEpimedii also possesses anticancer activity. Flavonol glycosides icariin and icariside II are the main bioactive components of HerbaEpimedii. They have been found to possess anticancer activities against various human cancer cell lines in vitro and mouse tumor models in vivo via their effects on multiple biological pathways, including cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis, and a variety of signaling pathways including JAK2-STAT3, MAPK-ERK, and PI3k-Akt-mTOR. The review is aimed to provide an overview of the current research results supporting their therapeutic effects and to highlight the molecular targets and action mechanisms.

Antiosteoporotic effect of icariin in ovariectomized rats is mediated via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Icariin (ICA), the main active flavonoid glucoside isolated from Herba Epimedii, has been shown to prevent postmenopausal bone loss in vitro. However, the mechanisms by which ICA prevents bone loss in vivo remain poorly understood. In the present study, the effect of ICA in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model of osteoporosis was evaluated. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham-operated and OVX groups. The OVX rats were randomly divided into five groups: OVX group (water only), Fosamax (positive) group (5.04 mg/kg, weekly, administered orally), and OVX-ICA groups (125, 250 or 500 mg/kg, daily, administered orally) and treated for 12 weeks. The 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg doses of ICA were designated as low (L-ICA), medium (M-ICA) and high (H-ICA), respectively. Compared with the sham-operated group, the OVX rats had significantly decreased bone mineral density (BMD), reduced serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) and increased serum bone gla protein (BGP) concentrations. ICA significantly increased BMD, biomechanical strength, trabecular bone number and trabecular bone thickness, and reduced lumbar trabecular bone separation. Treatment with ICA also completely normalized the expression of osteoblast markers by increasing serum concentrations of OPG and BGP. Enhanced mineralization was demonstrated by increased expression of differentiation markers. Although further in vivo studies are required to investigate the efficacy of ICA in improving bone mass, this study demonstrates that ICA has strong osteogenic activity, inducing osteogenic differentiation and inhibiting resorption by osteoclasts. It also demonstrates an antiosteoporotic effect for ICA on the basis of BMD, biochemical markers, biomechanical tests and histopathological parameters. Compared with L-ICA and H-ICA, M-ICA was more effective and caused no liver or kidney damage.

Protective effects of kidney-tonifying Chinese herbal preparation on substantia nigra neurons in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease

The Chinese herbs Herba Epimedii, Fructus Ligustri Lucidi and Rhizoma Polygonati were injected into Parkinson's disease mice established via intraperitoneal injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine hydrochloride. The selective monoamine oxidase B inhibitor selegiline was used as a positive control drug. After successive administration for 4 weeks, Herba Epimedii could downregulate the expression of caspase-3 and increase the brain-derived neurotrophic factor level, as well as increase tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease mouse models. Rhizoma Polygonati could downregulate the expression of caspase-3 and FasL, and increase neural growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels. Fructus Ligustri Lucidi could downregulate caspase-3 expression. Rhizoma Polygonati and Fructus Ligustri Lucidi did not produce obvious effects on tyrosine hydroxylase activity. Herba Epimedii and Fructus Ligustri Lucidi yielded similar effects on apoptosis-promoting factors to those elicited by selegiline. Herba Epimedii and Rhizoma Polygonati significantly increased the levels of neurotrophic factors compared with selegiline. Herba Epimedii significantly increased tyrosine hydroxylase activity compared with selegiline. It is indicated that the kidney-tonifying Chinese herbal preparation can downregulate the expression of apoptosis-promoting factors, increase neurotrophic factors levels in the substantia nigra and striatum, as well as increase tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease mouse models, thereby exerting a stronger or similar neuroprotective effects compared with selegiline.

Pharmacological effects and pharmacokinetic properties of icariin, the major bioactive component in Herba Epimedii

Herba Epimedii is an important medicinal plant which has been used in various traditional Chinese formulations for thousands of years as well as in modern proprietary traditional Chinese medicine products. It has extensive clinical indications, especially for the treatment of sexual dysfunction and osteoporosis. There have been more than 260 chemical moieties identified in the genus Epimedium most of which belong to flavonoids. Icariin is the most abundant constituent in Herba Epimedii. Icariin is pharmacologically bioactive and demonstrates extensive therapeutic capacities such as osteoprotective effect, neuroprotective effect, cardiovascular protective effect, anti-cancer effect, anti-inflammation effect, immunoprotective effect and reproductive function. Particularly, the significant osteogenic effect of icariin made it a promising drug candidate in bone tissue engineering. The current review paper aims to summarize the literatures reporting the pharmacological effects of icariin. The pharmacokinetic properties of bioactive ingredients in Herba Epimedii have also been discussed.

Synergistic inhibitory effect of Icariside II with Icaritin from Herba Epimedii on pre-osteoclastic RAW264.7 cell growth

Increasing evidence shows the therapeutic superiority of herbal extracts in comparison to isolated single constituents. One of the reasons may be attributed to the synergy effect of compound combinations. Flavonoids from Herba Epimedii have been shown to have therapeutic effect against bone loss. Our previous study showed that Icariside II inhibited pre-osteoclast RAW264.7 growth. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the activity of Icariside II is synergized by other components of Herba Epimedii. The inhibitory activity of Icariside II was significantly enhanced in the presence of the extract of Herba Epimedii (EHE) at the ratio of 1:1, 1:5 and 1:10. Icaritin, another flavonoid constituent, was shown here to inhibit RAW264.7 growth in a dose-dependent manner. Further, we found that Icariside II, together with Icaritin, synergistically inhibited RAW264.7 growth. The synergistic effect is significant when the ratio of Icariside II and Icaritin was 10:1, 5:1, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:5, respectively. In conclusion, Icaritin were an active component. The inhibitory activity of Icariside II on pre-osteoclast RAW264.7 growth was synergized by Icaritin, which maybe contribute to the efficiency of Herba Epimedii extract on curing bone-related diseases, such as osteoporosis.

Anti-angiogenic activity of Herba Epimedii on zebrafish embryos in vivo and HUVECs in vitro

Herba Epimedii, an herb commonly used in East Asian medicine, is commonly used for treatment of impotence, osteoporosis and many inflammatory conditions in traditional Chinese medicine. Recent studies revealed that Herba Epimedii also has anti-tumor or anti-cancer activities, which may possibly be mediated through anti-angiogenesis. This study aims to examine and confirm the anti-angiogenic activity in the herb using both in vivo and in vitro approaches. The 95% ethanol extract and four subsequent fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EA), n-butanol and aqueous fractions) of Herba Epimedii were tested on the zebrafish model by the quantitative assay for endogenous alkaline phosphatase; then, the active fraction was further tested on Tg(fli1a:EGFP)y1 zebrafish embryos and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) for the anti-angiogenic effects. In addition, the action mechanism of Herba Epimedii was further investigated on wild-type zebrafish embryos and HUVECs. The EA fraction showed anti-angiogenic effects in both in vivo and in vitro models. Further experiments demonstrated that it might affect angiogenesis by acting on multiple molecular targets in zebrafish embryos and ERK signaling pathway in HUVECs. In conclusion, Herba Epimedii can inhibit angiogenesis, which may be the mechanism for its anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-cancer actions.