AUTHOR=Li Yanli , Liu Jie , Pongkorpsakol Pawin , Xiong Zhengguo , Li Li , Jiang Xuemei , Zhao Haixia , Yuan Ding , Zhang Changcheng , Guo Yuhui , Dun Yaoyan TITLE=Relief Effects of Icariin on Inflammation-Induced Decrease of Tight Junctions in Intestinal Epithelial Cells JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.903762 DOI=10.3389/fphar.2022.903762 ISSN=1663-9812 ABSTRACT=
Inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α and IL-1β impair intestinal barrier function in aging by disrupting intestinal tight junction integrity. Icariin (ICA) has a variety of pharmacological effects. Indeed, ICA produces anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative stress, and inhibitory effects on microRNA (miRNA) expression. This study was to explore whether ICA could alleviate inflammation-associated intestinal barrier function impairment in aging and its underlying mechanism. Of particular interest, network pharmacology prediction indicated the potential therapeutic impacts of ICA for the treatment of colitis. Then, rats were used to study whether ICA has a protective effect on the reduction of tight junctions caused by inflammatory cytokines. Next, Caco-2 cell monolayers were used to explore the mechanism by which ICA alleviates the down-regulation of tight junctions. Network pharmacology prediction revealed that ICA alleviated colitis