Icariin Ameliorates Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Retinopathy in Vitro and in Vivo

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Hua Xin²  Feng Zhou¹  Tao Liu¹  Guang-Yong Li¹  Jing Liu¹  Zhe-Zhu Gao¹  Guang-Yi Bai¹  Hong Lu² 

[1] Andrology Center, Peking University First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100034, China; E-Mails:;Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing ChaoYang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100043, China; E-Mail:

关键词: icariin;    streptozotocin;    diabetes;    retina;    diabetic retinopathy;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms13010866

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This study investigated the effect of Icariin (ICA) supplementation on diabetic retinopathy (DR) in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model system. Fifty Sprague Dawley rats were randomly distributed into a control group and a streptozotocin-induced diabetes group. Diabetic rats were randomly divided into two groups; one group received ICA 5 mg/kg/day for 12 weeks by oral gavage; the other group received saline gavage as a placebo. Retinal morphological changes, endothelial markers (RECA), collagen IV (Col-IV), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and neuropathic changes (Thy-1 and Brn3a expression) of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) were investigated. The effects of ICA at various concentrations (0, 10¹, 10², 10³ nmol/mL) on neurite growth were investigated also in retinal ganglion cells (RGC) cultured from both diabetic and normal animals. Numerous pathological changes (deceased expression of RECA, VEGF, Thy-1, and Brn3a as well as decreased Collagen IV and Müller cell content) were noted in the retinal vessels of diabetic rats; these changes were attenuated in diabetic animals that received ICA. ICA enhanced neurite growth in RGC from both normal rats and diabetic rats in a dose dependent fashion. ICA may be useful in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. Further investigations are indicated.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.