• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.110-117
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• 2008

Three kinds of prenylated flavonols, icariside I, icariside II, and icaritin, were isolated from an icariin hydrolysate and their effects on melanogenesis evaluated based on mushroom tyrosinase inhibition and quantifying the melanin contents in melanocytes. Although none of the compounds had an effect on tyrosinase activity, icariside II and icaritin both effectively inhibited the melanin contents with an $IC_{50}$ of 10.53 and $11.13{\mu}M$, respectively. Whereas icariside II was obtained from a reaction with ${\beta}$-glucosidase and cellulase, the icariin was not completely converted into icariside II. Thus, for the high-purity production of icariside II, the reaction was optimized using the response surface methodology, where an enzyme concentration of 5.0mg/ml, pH 7, $37.5^{\circ}C$, and 8 h reaction time were selected as the central conditions for the central composite design (CCD) for the enzymatic hydrolysis of icariin into icariside II using cellulase. Empirical models were developed to describe the relationships between the operating factors and the response (icariside II yield). A statistical analysis indicated that all four factors had a significant effect (p<0.01) on the icariside II production. The coefficient of determination $(R^2)$ was good for the model (0.9853), and the optimum production conditions for icariside II was an enzyme concentration of 7.5mg/ml, pH 5, $50^{\circ}C$, and 12 h reaction time. A good agreement between the predicted and experimental data under the designed optimal conditions confirmed the usefulness of the model. A laboratory pilot scale was also successful.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2016

OSCC is currently the most common malignancy of the head and neck, affecting tens of thousands of patients per year worldwide. Natural flavonoids from plants are potential sources for novel anti-cancer drugs. Icariin is the active ingredient of flavonol glycoside, which is derived from the medical plant Herba Epimedii. A metabolite of icariin, icariside II exhibits a variety of pharmacological actions, including anti-rheumatic, anti-depressant, cardiovascular protective, and immunomodulatory functions. However, the exact mechanism causing the apoptosis-inducing effect of icariside II in OSCC is still not fully understood. In the present study, we assessed the anti-cancer effect of icariside II in OSCC cell lines by measuring its effect on cell viability, cell proliferation, and mitochondria membrane potential (MMP). Icariside II treatment of OSCC cells resulted in a dose- and time-dependent decrease in cell viability. Hoechst staining indicated apoptosis in icariside II-treated HSC cells. Icariside II inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in HSC cells, with significant increases in all present parameters in HSC-4 cells. The results clearly suggested that icariside II induced apoptosis via activation of intrinsic pathways and caspase cascades in HSC-4 cell lines. The collective findings of the study suggested that Icariside II is a potential treatment for OSCC; in addition, the data could provide a basis for the development of a novel anti-cancer strategy.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.289-292
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• 1995

Icariside II, a flavonol glycoside, was isolated from the aerial part of Epimedium Koreanum Nakai by the anti-hepatotoxic acitivity guided fractionation technique employing $CCl_4-in-toxicated$ primary cultured rat hepatocytes as an assay system. Its anti-hepatotoxic activity was evaluated by measuring activity of glutamic pyruvic transaminase released from the $CCl_4-in-toxicated$ primary cultured rat hapatocytes. Icariside II significantly reduced the activity of glutamic pyruvic transaminase released from the $CCl_4-in-toxicated$ primary cultured rat hepatocytes and resulted in 78% recovery of the toxicity at the concentration of $200{\;}\mu\textrm{m}$. The anti-hepatotoxic activity of icariside II on the $CCl_4-in-toxicated$ primary cultured rat hepatocytes was as potent as that of silybin.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.437-446
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• 2022

In this study, to obtain icaritin with high pharmacological activities from icariin, which has a content ratio of over 58% in the total flavonoids of Epimedium herb, a special Epimedium flavonoid-glycosidase was produced, purified and characterized from Aspergillus sp.y848 strain. The optimal enzyme production was gained in a medium containing 5% (w/v) wheat bran extract and 0.7% (w/v) Epimedium leaf powder as the enzyme inducer, and strain culture at 30℃ for 6-7 days. The molecular weight of the enzyme was approximately 73.2 kDa; the optimal pH and temperature were 5.0 and 40℃. The enzyme Km and Vmax values for icariin were 15.63 mM and 55.56 mM/h. Moreover, the enzyme hydrolyzed the 7-O-glucosides of icariin into icariside II, and finally hydrolyzed 3-Orhamnoside of icariside II into icaritin. The enzyme also hydrolyzed 7-O-glucosides of epimedin B to sagittatoside B, and then further hydrolyzed terminal 3-O-xyloside of sagittatoside B to icarisiede II, before finally hydrolyzing 3-O-rhamnoside of icarisiede II into icaritin. The enzyme only hydrolyzed 7-O-glucoside of epimedin A or epimedin C into sagittatoside A or sagittatoside C. It is possible to prepare icaritin from the high-content icariin in Epimedium herb using this enzyme. When 2.5% icariin was reacted at 40℃ for 18-20 h by the low-cost crude enzyme, 5.04 g icaritin with 98% purity was obtained from 10 g icariin. Also, the icaritin molar yield was 92.5%. Our results showed icaritin was successfully produced via cost-effective and relatively simple methods from icariin by crude enzyme. Our results should be very useful for the development of medicines from Epimedium herb.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제41권6호
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• pp.553-561
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• 2018

Icariside II (ICA II) is used in erectile dysfunction treatment. Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are efficient at improving erectile function. This study aimed to explore the action mechanism of ADSCs in improving erectile function. ADSCs were isolated from the adipose tissues of rats. Cell proliferation was determined using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The expressions of mRNA and protein were determined separately through qRT-PCR and western blot. The endogenous expressions of related genes were regulated using recombinant plasmids and cell transfection. A Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay was performed to determine the interaction between miR-34a and STAT3. Rat models with bilateral cavernous nerve injuries (BCNIs) were used to assess erectile function through the detection of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and intracavernosal pressure (ICP). ICA II promoted ADSCs' proliferation and differentiation to Schwann cells (SCs) through the inhibition of miR-34a. Suppressed miR-34a promoted the differentiation of ADSCs to SCs by upregulating STAT3. ICA II promoted the differentiation of ADSCs to SCs through the miR-34a/STAT3 pathway. The combination of ICA II and ADSCs preserved the erectile function of the BCNI model rats. ADSCs treated with ICA II markedly preserved the erectile function of the BCNI model rats, which was reversed through miR-34a overexpression. ICA II promotes the differentiation of ADSCs to SCs through the miR34a/STAT3 pathway, contributing to erectile function preservation after the occurrence of a cavernous nerve injury.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제62권4호
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• pp.433-439
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• 2019

Artemisia species are widely used as food ingredients and raw material in traditional medicine. However, to date, the secondary metabolites of Artemisia gmelinii Weber ex Stechm. have not been sufficiently investigated. The secondary metabolites of A. gmelinii, which was collected from representative regions in Chungbuk, Gangwon, and Gyeongbuk, were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTof MS) combined with an unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) multivariate analysis. In the loading scatter plot of PCA, significant changes in metabolites were observed between the regions, ten metabolites (3: 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 4: 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 8: trans-melilotoside, 12: quercetin 3-O-hexoside, 15: 3,4-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 17: 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 18: 4,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 19: syringaldehyde, 20: caffeoylquinic acid derivative, and 23: icariside II) were evaluated as key markers among twenty-five identified metabolites. Interestingly, the contents of the identified marker significantly differed between the three groups. This is the first study to report the presence of marker metabolites and their correlating geographical cultivation in A. gmelinii.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권12호
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• pp.1606-1614
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• 2023

Biochemical gut metabolism of dietary bioactive compounds is of great significance in elucidating health-related issues at the molecular level. In this study, a human gut bacterium cleaving C-C glycosidic bond was screened from puerarin conversion to daidzein, and a new, gram-positive C-glycoside-deglycosylating strain, Dorea sp. MRG-IFC3, was isolated from human fecal sample under anaerobic conditions. Though MRG-IFC3 biotransformed isoflavone C-glycoside, it could not metabolize other C-glycosides, such as vitexin, bergenin, and aloin. As evident from the production of the corresponding aglycons from various 7-O-glucosides, MRG-IFC3 strain also showed 7-O-glycoside cleavage activity; however, flavone 3-O-glucoside icariside II was not metabolized. In addition, for mechanism study, C-glycosyl bond cleavage of puerarin by MRG-IFC3 strain was performed in D₂O GAM medium. The complete deuterium enrichment on C-8 position of daidzein was confirmed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and the result clearly proved for the first time that daidzein is produced from puerarin. Two possible reaction intermediates, the quinoids and 8-dehydrodaidzein anion, were proposed for the production of daidzein-8d. These results will provide the basis for the mechanism study of stable C-glycosidic bond cleavage at the molecular level.