Microbial metabolism studies of Icariin derivatives

Icariin is derived from several species of plants in the genus Epimedium , which are commonly known as Horny Goat Weed or Yin Yang Huo. Extracts from these plants are reputed to produce aphrodisiac effects, and are commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine to enhance erectile function, as well as for several other indications. This interesting property has led to intense research aiming at deciphering various bioactivities of icariin and icariin derivatives. Of a total of thirty microbial cultures screened, several microorganisms were selected for preparative-scale fermentation studies, since it was found that they are capable of metabolizing icariin derivatives based on the TLC analyses and control studies. Detailed fermentation, isolation and structure elucidation will be presented.