title: The Cardioprotective Effect of Icariin on Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Isolated Rat Heart: Potential Involvement of the PI3K-Akt Signaling Pathway.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Icariin (ICA), a flavonoid isolated from epimedii, has been reported to have potential protective effects on the cardiovascular system. This study is to investigate the effect and the underlying mechanisms of ICA on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Wister rat hearts were subjected to I/R using Langendorff perfusion system. Cardiac function, myocardial infarct size, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) activities in coronary effluent, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in heart tissue and cardiomyocyte apoptosis were assayed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the I/R group, ICA treatment significantly improved cardiac function, decreased myocardial infarct size, enzyme activity, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. In addition, ICA treatment lead to an increased p-Akt level, which was partially reversed by LY294002, a PI3K pathway inhibitor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that ICA has a cardioprotective effect against I/R injury, which is associated with its antioxidative and anti-apoptotic effect, at least partially, through the activation of PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Zunping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, The Fifth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Aimei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, The Second People's Hospital of Huai'an, Huai'an, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form / Q000378:metabolism; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects; D006334:Heart Function Tests; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D015428:Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000187:drug effects*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form; C056599:icariin
keywords: Akt; Apoptosis; Cardioprotection; Icariin; Ischemia/reperfusion