Chronic mild stress (CMS) is suggested to produce abnormalities in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. Therefore, compound that attenuates the neuroendocrinological alterations may have potential as antidepressant. The behavioral and neuroendocrinological effects of icariin, a major constituent of flavonoids isolated from Epimedium brevicornum, were investigated in the CMS model of depression in male Wistar rats. CMS procedure caused an anhedonic state in rats resulted in increased corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) concentrations in dissected brain regions and serum, decreased total triiodothyronine (tT3) in serum with no significant changes in serum adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and thyroxine (tT4). Administration of icariin reversed CMS-induced sucrose intake reduction and CRF elevation. These results suggested that icariin possessed potent antidepressant-like activities which were at least in part mediated by improving the abnormalities in the HPA axis functions. However, we did not find a clear correlation between the HPT axis and icariin treatment in the CMS-treated rats.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2007.04.009 | DOI Listing |
J Alzheimers Dis
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Guizhou Province, School of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.
Background: One of the hallmark pathological characteristics of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulated in brain, which is mainly derived from the proteolytic processing of amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP). The ubiquitin-proteasome system is able to reduce Aβ generation by ubiquitination and degradation of AβPP. Icariin (ICA), a flavonoid isolated from Maxim.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Drug Targets
January 2025
Department of Pharmacology, Central University of Punjab, Bhatinda, Punjab, India.
Emerging challenges to human health necessitate a coordinated effort to find both preventative and therapeutic techniques, with natural products at the forefront of attempts to gain novel medicines and minimize disease transmission and related death. The medicinal potential of chemicals contained in plants has been known for centuries, leading to its use in homes and clinics for the treatment of numerous disorders. Despite global advancements, plant-based medicines continue to be utilized to treat various pathological illnesses or as alternatives to contemporary pharmaceuticals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Ethnopharmacol
January 2025
School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China. Electronic address:
Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) believes that kidney deficiency is the fundamental cause of chronic refractory asthma, accompanied by pathological changes such as airway remodeling and a reduction of endogenous glucocorticoid (GC) synthesis. The combination of Epimedium brevicornum Maxim (EB) and Ligustrum lucidum Ait (LL) is frequently used in TCM for kidney tonifying and the alleviation of asthma symptoms. This approach is based on Pei-Ben formula, a renowned treatment for asthma developed by the distinguished Shanghai Practitioner, Professor Huiguang Xu, over 30 years of clinical experience.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Sci Food Agric
November 2024
Department of Gastrointestinal, Colorectal, and Anal Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Background: Epimedium polysaccharide (EPS) is a bioactive compound derived from the traditional Chinese herb Epimedium brevicornum. The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effects of EPS on ulcerative colitis (UC) and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved.
Results: The findings showed that EPS treatment mitigated UC symptoms, including weight loss, anal bleeding, elevated disease activity index (DAI), and colon shortening.
J Ethnopharmacol
January 2025
Chongqing Medical and Pharmaceutical College, Chongqing, 401331, PR China. Electronic address:
Ethnopharmacological Relevance: In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there are many prescriptions for treating breast cancer (BC) that utilize the herb Epimedium brevicornum Maxim, which warms and replenishes kidney yang. Baohuoside I (BI) is a flavonoid compound found in Epimedium brevicornum Maxim. As a single glycoside, it is not easily hydrolyzed in the intestine and is typically absorbed as a precursor.
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