Combinatory mixture of Rubus coreanus and Astragalus membranaceus attenuates bone loss through RANK signal pathway in ovariectized mice (1034.9)

Abstract

Background: Estrogen deficiency after menopause accelerates excessive loss of trabecular bone, leading to osteoporosis. Aim: The present study investigated the effects of the optimal combination of R. coreanus and A. membranaceus in 7:3 mixture (RAM) in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. Methods: Female ICR mice were ovariectomized (OVX) or sham‐operated (Sham) and divided into six groups; (1) Sham received daily oral phosphate‐buffered‐saline (PBS) ; (2) OVX mice received a daily oral gavage of PBS; (3) OVX mice treated daily with 50 mg/kg b.w./day of RAM; (4) with 100 mg/kg b.w./day of RAM; (5) with 200 mg/kg b.w./day of RAM via oral gavage; (6) OVX mice received i.p. injections of 17β‐estradiol (E2) (0.1 mg/kg b.w./day) three times per week for 12 wk. Results: RAM administration prevented tibial bone loss and preserved trabecular bone microarchitecture. RAM also showed recovery effects on the levels of TNF‐α, OPG and RANKL in OVX mice. Moreover, the anti‐osteoporotic property of RAM is closely correlated with the inhibition of osteoclast‐specific genes including TRAF6, NFATc1, calcitonin receptors and cathepsin K. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that RAM can be clinically used in the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.Grant Funding Source: This work was supported by a grant from the Next‐Generation BioGreen 21 Program (No. PJ009049), RDA.