Abstract
Echinocystic acid (EA) is a natural triterpone enriched in various herbs and has been used for medicinal purposes in China. In the present study, we systematically examined the effects of EA on ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats for the first time. Three-month-old female ovariectomy (OVX) Sprague–Dawley rats were used to evaluate the osteoprotective effect of EA. Results showed that administration of EA (5 or 15 mg/kg/day) for 12 weeks prevented lower levels of maximum stress and Young’s modulus of femur induced by OVX. EA also recovered bone metabolic biomarkers levels in OVX rats, including osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatese, deoxypyridinoline, and urinary calcium and phosphorus. EA (5 and 15 mg/kg/day) could prevent the alteration of total bone mineral density in the femur caused by OVX. However, only high dose (15 mg/kg/day) of EA significantly improved trabecular architecture, as evidenced by higher levels of bone volume/tissue volume, trabecula number, and trabecula thickness, and lower levels of trabecula separation and structure model index compared with OVX rats. In addition, EA treatment decresed the serum levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in OVX rats. In conclusion, EA could prevent reduction of bone mass and strength and improve the cancellous bone structure and biochemical properties in OVX rats. Hence, EA may serve as a new candidate or a leading compound for anti-osteoporosis.
Highlights
Osteoporosis, characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) and fragility of the bone, is a worldwide health problem for the aging population
Echinocystic acid (EA) had no effects on body and uterine weight in OVX rats
The present study was designed to evaluate the potential effects of EA on osteoporosis induced by estrogen deficiency
Summary
Osteoporosis, characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) and fragility of the bone, is a worldwide health problem for the aging population. Present drugs offer specific and clearly targeted therapeutic effects on the improvement of bone quality; side effects remain the clinical problems for patients[4,5,6] In recent years, there is a growing interest in developing anti-osteoporosis agents from plants. Flavonoids derived from food and herbs have been shown to have anti-osteoporotic effects in animal models and clinical trials [7,8,9,10,11,12]. Several triterpenoids, including oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, and their derivatives, have been reported to prevent bone loss by stimulating the osteoblastic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells and inhibiting the formation of osteoclasts [13,14,15]
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