Abstract
Osteoporosis is a progressive, systemic bone disorder characterized by loss of bone mass and microstructure, leading to reduced bone strength and increased risk of fracture. It is often associated with reduced quality of life and other medical complications. The disease is common in the aging population, particularly among postmenopausal women and patients who receive long-term steroidal therapy. Given the rapid growth of the aging population, increasing life expectancy, the prevalence of bone loss, and financial burden to the healthcare system and individuals, demand for new therapeutic agents and nutritional supplements for the management and promotion of bone health is pressing. With the advent of global interest in complementary and alternative medicine and natural products, Chinese medicine serves as a viable source to offer benefits for the improvement and maintenance of bone health. This review summarizes the scientific information obtained from recent literatures on the chemical ingredients of Chinese medicinal plants that have been reported to possess osteoprotective and related properties in cell-based and/or animal models. Some of these natural products (or their derivatives) may become promising leads for development into dietary supplements or therapeutic drugs.
Highlights
Osteopenia and osteoporosis (“porous bone”) are progressive metabolic bone disorders occurring in aging populations, especially postmenopausal women and patients who undergo long-term steroid therapy
procollagen 1 N terminal extension peptide (P1NP) seems to have several advantages over procollagen 1 C terminal extension peptide (P1CP) such as lower individual variability and higher stability. It became a marker of choice recommended by professional bodies such as the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC), and National Bone Health Alliance (NBHA) [59,63]
The total flavonoids of Epimedium have been found to decrease mRNA expression levels of fat generation factors such as peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma 2 (PPARγ-2) and CCAAT enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBPα), while promoting osteoblast differentiation in bone marrow stromal cells obtained from ovariectomized rats [162]
Summary
Osteopenia (low bone density) and osteoporosis (“porous bone”) are progressive metabolic bone disorders occurring in aging populations, especially postmenopausal women and patients who undergo long-term steroid therapy. Anti-resorptive drugs include bisphosphonates (alendronate, ibandronate, risedronate, and zoledronic acid), calcitonin, denosumab (an inhibitor of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand [RANKL]), and raloxifene (a selective estrogen receptor modulator). These compounds slow down the process of bone loss. Given the rapid growth of the aging population, increasing life expectancy, the prevalence of bone loss, and financial burden to the healthcare system and individuals, demand for new therapeutic agents and nutritional supplements for the management and promotion of bone health is pressing. Readers are referred to a number of recent review articles on the topics of medicinal herbs and/or Chinese medicines for bone disorders and for maintenance of bone health [31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42]
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