Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifaceted bone and joint disease with degenerative changes of articular cartilage. Therefore, the current research on the etiology of OA mainly focuses on the etiology of articular cartilage degeneration. Clarifying the pathogenesis of OA from the molecular level has become an important research topic in the field of orthopedics. Its main pathological features are the decrease of chondrocyte metabolic activity, cartilage matrix degradation, and osteophyte formation. Icariin (ICA) is the main active monomer of epimedium, a traditional Chinese medicine, and the pharmacological research has revealed favorable effects of ICA on the bone system. ICA can promote the proliferation of chondrocytes and inhibit the apoptosis of chondrocytes, alleviate the degradation rate of cartilage matrix, and effectively protect articular cartilage. This review also expounds the mechanism of promoting cartilage repair.
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