Icariin improves osteoporosis, inhibits the expression of PPARγ, C/EBPα, FABP4 mRNA, N1ICD and jagged1 proteins, and increases Notch2 mRNA in ovariectomized rats.

Icariin (ICA) is a pharmacologically active flavonoid glycoside that shows promise in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis (OP). However, the mechanisms underlying the anti-osteoporotic effects of ICA remain largely unclear. The present study used quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot and immunohistochemical analysis to examine the effects of ICA on several key targets in the Notch signaling pathway in bone tissue in ovariectomized rats.

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 . However, the mechanisms by which ICA prevents bone loss remain poorly understood. In the present study, the effect of ICA in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model of osteoporosis was evaluated.