Icariin (ICA) is a flavonoid constituent isolated from Epimedium that has been extensively researched in the field of regenerative medicine. This monomer improved the behavioural symptoms of Alzheimer’s rats and improved learning and memory abilities by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Our group has been working on β-asarone for nearly 30 years, and we found that it has a very good pharmacodynamic effect in AD. Β-Asarone (1,2,4-trimethoxy-5-benzene) is an essential component of Acorus tatarinowii Schott volatile oil that can easily pass through the blood-brain barrier. These findings suggest that impaired removal of defective mitochondria is a pivotal event in AD pathogenesis, and that combination treatment with mitophagy inducers represents a potential strategy for therapeutic intervention. Then, we found that the combination therapy also inhibited cell and mitochondrial damage by inducing autophagy/mitophagy. The efficacy of the combination therapy was better than that of the individual therapies applied separately. Meanwhile, there is growing evidence that treatment of AD should be preceded by intervention before the formation of pathological products. Enhanced mitophagic activity has been reported to promote A β and tau clearance in in vitro and in vivo models.
Here, we provide evidence that autophagy/mitophagy is impaired in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice and in A β1-42-induced PC12 cell models.
The accumulation of damaged mitochondria and mitophagy are hallmarks of aging and age-related neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this paper, we primarily explored the effects of the combination of β-asarone and ICA in clearing noxious proteins and reversing cognitive deficits. Icariin (ICA) is a major active ingredient of Epimedium that has attracted increasing attention because of its unique pharmacological effects in degenerative disease. Β-Asarone is the main constituent of Acorus tatarinowii Schott and exhibits important effects in diseases such as neurodegenerative and neurovascular diseases.