Icariin, an Up-and-Coming Bioactive Compound Against Neurological Diseases: Network Pharmacology-Based Study and Literature Review

• Main Authors: Wang S, Ma J, Zeng Y, Zhou G, Wang Y, Zhou W, Sun X, Wu M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2021-08-01
• Series: Drug Design, Development and Therapy
• Subjects: epimedii herba; icariin; network pharmacology; literature review; nervous system diseases
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/icariin-an-up-and-coming-bioactive-compound-against-neurological-disea-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-DDDT

Shuangqiu Wang,1– 3,* Jiarui Ma,4,* Yanqi Zeng,5,* Guowei Zhou,6 Yuxuan Wang,1– 3 Wenjuan Zhou,5 Xiaohe Sun,5 Minghua Wu1,5 1Department of Neurology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Medicine Research of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210046, People’s Republic of China; 3State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for TCM Quality and Efficacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210046, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 4Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Target and Drug for Degenerative Disease, School of Medicine and Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210046, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 5First Clinical Medical School, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210046, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of General Surgery, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Minghua WuDepartment of Neurology, Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 155 Hanzhong Road, Qinhuai District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaTel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [e-mail]: Icariin is a biologically active substance in Epimedii herba that is used for the treatment of neurologic disorders. However, a comprehensive analysis of the molecular mechanisms of icariin is lacking. In this review, we present a brief history of the use of icariin for medicinal purposes; describe the active chemical components of Epimedii herba; and examine the evidence from experimental studies that have uncovered molecular targets of icariin in different diseases. We also constructed a protein–protein interaction network and carried out Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes functional enrichment analyses to predict the therapeutic actions of icariin in nervous system diseases including Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, ischemic stroke, depressive disorder, multiple sclerosis, glioblastoma, and hereditary spastic paraplegias. The results of our analyses can guide future studies on the application of icariin to the treatment of neurologic disorders.Keywords: Epimedii herba, icariin, network pharmacology, literature review, nervous system diseases