Icariside II alleviates ischemic retinopathy by modulating microglia and promoting vessel integrity

Ischemic retinopathies (IRs) are vision-threatening diseases that affect a substantial amount of people. The current treatment options for IRs have side effects and are unable to prevent disease progression. It is therefore worthwhile to consider alternative treatments that could be safer and more efficient. Icariside II (IRS) is a metabolite icariin, derived from traditional Chinese medicine Herba Epimedii. In the oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model, IRS significantly inhibited pathological angiogenesis and retinal hemorrhage dose-dependently. Its efficacy could be regulated by glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3 beta) and beta-catenin, which may be critical roles in suppression of the activated microglia and exacerbation of pathologic angiogenic process. These results suggest that intake of IRS can be a potentially effective treatment in IRs via promoting the proper angiogenesis archi-tecturally and functionally.