Icariin: A Promising Natural Product in Biomedicine and Tissue Engineering

Among scaffolds used in tissue engineering, natural biomaterials such as plant-based materials show a crucial role in cellular function due to their biocompatibility and chemical indicators. Because of environmentally friendly behavior and safety, green methods are so important in designing scaffolds. A key bioactive flavonoid of the Epimedium plant, Icariin (ICRN), has a broad range of applications in improving scaffolds as a constant and non-immunogenic material, and in stimulating the cell growth, differentiation of chondrocytes as well as differentiation of embryonic stem cells towards cardiomyocytes. Moreover, fusion of ICRN into the hydrogel scaffolds or chemical crosslinking can enhance the secretion of the collagen matrix and proteoglycan in bone and cartilage tissue engineering. To scrutinize, in various types of cancer cells, ICRN plays a decisive role through increasing cytochrome c secretion, Bax/Bcl2 ratio, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase as well as caspase stimulations. Surprisingly, ICRN can induce apoptosis, reduce viability and inhibit proliferation of cancer cells, and repress tumorigenesis as well as metastasis. Moreover, cancer cells no longer grow by halting the cell cycle at two checkpoints, G0/G1 and G2/M, through the inhibition of NF-kappa B by ICRN. Besides, improving nephrotoxicity occurring due to cisplatin and inhibiting multidrug resistance are the other applications of this biomaterial.

Automated summary

Among the various kinds of scaffolds used in tissue engineering, natural biomaterials such as plant-based materials play a crucial role due to their biocompatibility and chemical indicators. Designing scaffolds using green methods is important for their environmentally friendly behavior and safety. Icariin (ICRN), a bioactive flavonoid found in the Epimedium plant, has a wide range of applications in improving scaffolds as a non-immunogenic material and promoting cell growth and differentiation in chondrocytes and embryonic stem cells. Additionally, ICRN can enhance matrix secretion in bone and cartilage tissue engineering and has potential applications in cancer treatment and reducing nephrotoxicity.