Objective: To investigate the inhibitory effects of icariin(ICA),an active ingredient of Herb Epimedii,on angiogenesis.
Methods: The chick chorioallantoic membrane(CAM)assay was adopted to evaluate the effects of various doses of the ICA on the angiogenesis. The cell growth inhibitory effect of ICA on human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC)was measured by MTT assay. Cell cycle arrest and the induction of apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry. The effect of ICA on the migration of HUVEC cells was measured on Transwell model.
Results: ICA remarkably inhibited angiogenesis in CAM in a concentration-dependent manner. The proliferation of HUVEC cells was inhibited by ICA, and the effect was time-and concentration-dependent. ICA-treated HUVEC cells showed cell cycle arrest;180 μg/ml of ICA decreased the percentage of migrating HUVEC cells by 78.0%.
Conclusion: ICA can effectively suppress angiogenesis;however,its in vivo inhibitory effect on angiogenesis warrants further investigations.