Icariin promotes the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells:a good candidate for bone defect repair / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:Recent studies have shown that icari n is a good bone-inducing factor that can promote the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cel s, providing a new hope for the treatment of bone defects. OBJECTIVE:To review research achievements in pharmacological effects of icari n effects on bone tissue metabolism as wel as its effect to promote osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cel s. METHODS:The first author retrieved CNKI and PubMed databases for relevant Chinese and English literatures using keywords of“icariin, stem cell, osteogenesis”, respectively. Articles regarding icariin, stem cells, osteogenesis were included, and repetitive studies were excluded. Totally 754 articles were retrieved initially. In accordance with inclusion and exclusion criteria, 41 articles were included in result analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:As the main ingredient of Herba epimedi , icari n functions as a good osteogenetic growth factor to promote the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s. In recent years, icari n has been shown to promote adipose-, umbilical cord-, and periodontal ligament tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cel s to differentiate into osteoblasts. But such studies are less reported. Until now, mesenchymal stem cel s stil exhibit unsatisfactory osteogenic ability in in vivo experiments. Given this, osteogenetic growth factors contribute to the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cel s. Therefore, the use of icari n is expected to provide a good strategy for bone defect repair.