Preventive Effect of Artemisia capillaris extract on Bone Loss in Ovariectomized Rat Model

Abstract

Artemisia capillaris Thunberg has been used as a folk medicine for treating various diseases including inflammatory and immune‐related diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of Artemisia capillaris extract (ACE) on bone loss in ovariectomized rats. A total of sixty‐8‐week‐old female Spraque‐Dawley rats were divided randomly into sham‐operated group and four ovariectomized (OVA) groups: OVA, OVA + 17β‐ estradiol (E2, 50 μg/kg/day) and OVA + ACE (250 or 500 mg/kg/day). Daily oral administration of E2 or ACE began 3 weeks after surgery and lasted for 6 or 10 weeks. ACE prevented total BMD and BMC decrease in the femur induced by OVA, which was accompanied by a significant decrease in bone remodeling, as it was evidenced by the regulated levels of the bone turnover markers such as osteocalcin (OC), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), procollagen type1 C‐terminal peptide (PICP), osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of NF‐κB ligand (RANKL), tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), and cross‐linked C‐terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (ICTP). These results indicate that Artemisia capillaris extract may be utilized as a therapeutic agent for the prevention of bone metabolism‐related diseases such as postmenopausal osteoporosis.