Abstract
BackgroundThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of herbal medicines, such as Radix Dipsaci (RDD), Pyrola Herb (PHD), and Cynomorium songaricum decoction (CSD), on osteoporotic rats induced by ovariectomy (OVX).MethodsOVX or sham operations were performed on 69 virgin Wistar rats that were divided into six groups: sham (sham, n = 12), OVX control group (OVX, n = 12), and OVX rats with treatments (diethylstilbestrol, E2, n = 12; RDD, n = 11, PHD, n = 11, and CSD, n = 11). Non-surgical rats served as normal control (NC, n = 12). The treatments began four weeks after surgery and lasted for 12 weeks. Bone mass and bone turnover were analyzed by histomorphometry. Levels of protein expression and mRNA of OPG and RANKL in osteoblasts (OB) and bone marrow stromal cells (bMSC) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.ResultsCompared to NC and sham rats, trabecular bone formation was significantly reduced in OVX rats, but restored in E2-treated rats. Treatment with either RDD or PHD enhanced trabecular bone formation remarkably. No significant change of bone formation was observed in CSD-treated rats. OPG expression of protein and mRNA was reduced significantly in OB and bMSC of OVX control rats. RANKL expression of protein and mRNA was increased significantly in OB and bMSC of OVX control rats. These effects were substantially reversed (increased in OPG and decreased in RANKL) by treatment with E2, RDD, or PHD in OB and bMSC of OVX rats. No significant changes in either OPG or RANKL expression were observed in OB and bMSC of OVX rats treated with CSD.ConclusionsOur study showed that RDD and PHD increased bone formation by stimulating overexpression of OPG and downregulation of RANKL in OB and bMSC. This suggests that RDD and PHD may be used as alternative therapeutic agents for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Highlights
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of herbal medicines, such as Radix Dipsaci (RDD), Pyrola Herb (PHD), and Cynomorium songaricum decoction (CSD), on osteoporotic rats induced by ovariectomy (OVX)
Effects of RDD, Pyrola Herb decoction (PHD), and CSD on bone formation To investigate the effects of the herbal medicines on overall bone formation, we analyzed trabecular bone formation in the undecalcified tibial sections from tibiae of OVX rats treated with RDD, PHD, and CSD using methylene blue staining (Figure 1)
Numbers of trabeculae in the stained tibial section were significantly increased in OVX rats treated with RSD and PHD, but not with CSD (Figure 1), compared to that in OVX control
Summary
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of herbal medicines, such as Radix Dipsaci (RDD), Pyrola Herb (PHD), and Cynomorium songaricum decoction (CSD), on osteoporotic rats induced by ovariectomy (OVX). Osteoporosis, the most serious bone remodeling disease, is defined by low bone mass and a high risk of fractures. It mainly affects postmenopausal women and elderly men. Osteoporosis is caused by abnormal bone remodeling (i.e., access of resorption and less formation), resulting in an increased risk of hip and vertebral fracture [1]. Osteoporosis is a condition in which loss of bone mass leads to fragility fractures. Postmenopausal osteoporosis caused by estrogen deficiency is characterized by a highturnover state in bone remodeling; that is, bone resorption and formation were all maintained at a high level, but the bone resorption rate was higher than the bone formation rate in postmenopausal women [2]
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