title: Icariin attenuates the enhanced prothrombotic state in atherosclerotic rabbits independently of its lipid-lowering effects.
abstract: Icariin is a major active component isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Epimedium brevicornum, with a wide range of pharmacological and biological activities. In this paper, we investigated the effects of icariin on hyperlipidemia, and further evaluated whether icariin could improve unfavorable hemorheological parameters, attenuate platelet activation and facilitate the balance between plasmic plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and tissue-type plasminogen activator activities in rabbits fed a high-cholesterol diet. Icariin reduced the levels of serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as the atherosclerotic burden. In addition, this compound has been found to improve the imbalance between plasmic plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and tissue-type plasminogen activator activities, reduce platelet adhesiveness and aggregation and modulate unfavorable hemorheological variables in hypercholesterolemia. In conclusion, icariin has lipid-lowering effects and may be used in the treatment and prevention of thrombosis in the atherosclerotic process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Wei-ping
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao-jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Xiao-pu
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xiao-lu
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Zu-yi
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000097:blood; D015539:Platelet Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D010973:Platelet Adhesiveness / Q000187:drug effects; D011817:Rabbits; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D005419:Flavonoids; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D002784:Cholesterol; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; C056599:icariin