Research Base of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350122, PR China.
Int J Mol Med. 2012 Oct;30(4):889-95. doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2012.1079. Epub 2012 Jul 26.
Icariin, the main active compound of the traditional Chinese medicine, Epimedium, is commonly used for the clinical treatment of osteoporosis. However, the precise molecular mechanism of the therapeutic effect of icariin has not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of icariin on cell viability, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, the amount of calcified nodules, and to delineate the molecular mechanism of icariin-enhanced bone formation by investigating the expression of bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2), Smad4, Cbfa1/Runx2, osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of nuclear factor κ-B ligand (RANKL) and the OPG/RANKL ratio in the hFOB 1.19 human osteoblastic cell line. We found that icariin significantly increased the cell viability, the activity of ALP and the amount of calcified nodules in the hFOB 1.19 cells. Furthermore, we observed that icariin upregulated the expression of BMP-2, Smad4, Cbfa1/Runx2, OPG, RANKL and the OPG/RANKL ratio. Our results indicate that icariin can modulate the process of bone formation via the BMP-2/Smad4 signal transduction pathway in hFOB 1.19 cells.
淫羊藿苷是中药淫羊藿的主要活性化合物，常用于临床治疗骨质疏松症。然而，淫羊藿苷治疗作用的确切分子机制尚未阐明。本研究旨在通过研究骨形态发生蛋白-2（BMP-2）、Smad4、Cbfa1/Runx2、骨保护素（OPG）、核因子κ-B 受体激活剂配体（RANKL）和 OPG/RANKL 比值的表达，探讨淫羊藿苷对 hFOB 1.19 人成骨细胞系细胞活力、碱性磷酸酶（ALP）活性、钙化结节数量的影响，阐明淫羊藿苷增强骨形成的分子机制。我们发现淫羊藿苷显著增加了 hFOB 1.19 细胞的细胞活力、ALP 活性和钙化结节数量。此外，我们观察到淫羊藿苷上调了 BMP-2、Smad4、Cbfa1/Runx2、OPG、RANKL 和 OPG/RANKL 比值的表达。我们的结果表明，淫羊藿苷可以通过 hFOB 1.19 细胞中的 BMP-2/Smad4 信号转导通路调节骨形成过程。
