Li Chenrui, Li Qiang, Mei Qibing, Lu Tingli
Key Laboratory for Space Biosciences & Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Department of Radiology, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Life Sci. 2015 Apr 1;126:57-68. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2015.01.006. Epub 2015 Jan 26.
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.
淫羊藿是一种重要的药用植物，数千年来一直用于各种中药配方以及现代中成药产品中。它具有广泛的临床适应症，尤其用于治疗性功能障碍和骨质疏松症。淫羊藿属已鉴定出260多种化学部分，其中大部分属于黄酮类化合物。淫羊藿苷是淫羊藿中含量最丰富的成分。淫羊藿苷具有药理生物活性，并具有广泛的治疗能力，如骨保护作用、神经保护作用、心血管保护作用、抗癌作用、抗炎作用、免疫保护作用和生殖功能。特别是，淫羊藿苷显著的成骨作用使其成为骨组织工程中有前景的候选药物。本综述旨在总结报道淫羊藿苷药理作用的文献。还讨论了淫羊藿中生物活性成分的药代动力学性质。
