An experimental study on the use of icariin for improving thickness of thin endometrium

Abstract

ABSTRACT. This study aimed to investigate the effect of icariin (ICA) on thin endometrium in a rat model. To this end, 6-to 8-weekold female Sprague Dawley rats (105) were randomly divided into 7 groups: untreated, vehicle-treated (lavage with NaCl), high-dose ICA (lavage with ICA at 200 mg•kg -1 •day -1 ), medium-dose ICA (lavage ICA at 100 mg•kg ), sham model (injected with NaCl at uterus horn), and sample group. To induce thin endometrium, rats of all groups (except shammodel) were injected with 95% ethanol via the uterine horn. Each group underwent its respective treatment for 3 estrous cycles, after which 5 rats from each group were sacrificed, and endometrial thickness was measured. The expression of CD31, factor VIII, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), cytokeratin (CK), and vimentin were detected via immunohistochemistry. The results showed that CD31, factor VIII, and VEGF were primarily expressed in the cytoplasm of endometrial and vascular epithelial cells. No difference in the expression of these factors was detected between the ICA lavage groups and the untreated groups. However, high dose ICA-treated group exhibited significantly higher expression of CD31, factor VIII, and VEGF compared to that in the low dose and vehicle-treated groups. CK and vimentin in the endometrial tissue were significantly higher in the untreated and treatment groups compared to the vehicle-treated group. This study demonstrated that ICA increases thickness of the endometrium, and it may modulate expression of VEGF, CD31, and factor VIII.

Effects of menstrual blood‑derived stem cells on endometrial injury repair

“…VEGF is expressed in the glandular epithelium and vascular endothelial cells of the thin and normal endometrium, and the expression of VEGF in the thin endometrium was lower (38). Another study demonstrated that icariin treatment increase the thin endometrium in a rat model of intimal thickness by upregulation of VEGF expression (39). Keratin is a protein marker of epithelial cells, which serves an important role in maintaining the integrity of epithelial cells (40).…”

Mechanism of Action of Icariin in Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells

“…Since ALP (an early marker of osteogenic differentiation) levels peak on the 14 th day of the in vitro BMSC culture with ICA [121, 126, 135], it is reasonable to consider 14 days of intravenous ICA administration for the treatment regimen. ICA also promotes the regeneration of periodontal tissue [137], peripheral nerves [138], neural stem cells [139], and endometrium [140], although the optimal concentration of ICA differs across tissues.…”

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“…Herba menthae haplocalycis) 6 g, which has been studied on 30 women with tubular infertility with GnRHa / FSH / hCG therapy. In this study, it was shown that the aforementioned combination can help to increase fertility by increasing expression of GDF-9 in granulosa cells 32 .…”