Preventive effects of traditional Chinese (Kampo) medicines on experimental osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy in rats.
Preventive effects by traditional Chinese (Kampo) medicines, Unkei-to, Hachimi-jio-gan, and Juzen-taiho-to, on the progress of bone loss induced by ovariectomy in rats were investigated for a period of 49 days. The bone mineral density (BMD) of tibia in ovariectomized (OVX) rats decreased by 20% from those in sham-operated (Sham) rats, with the decrease completely inhibited by the administration of any one of these Kampo medicines or 17beta-estradiol. From scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analyses, the surface of a trabecular bone of tibia in OVX rats had a porous or erosive appearance, whereas that of the same bone in Sham rats was composed of fine particles. The administration of three Kampo medicines and 17beta-estradiol to OVX rats preserved the fine particle surface of the trabecular bone. These results strongly suggest that any of these three gynecological Kampo medicines is as effective as 17beta-estradiol in preventing the development of bone loss induced by ovariectomy in rats.
Hidaka
S
S
Department of Oral Biochemistry, Fukuoka Dental College, 15-1, Tamura 2-Chome, Sawara-Ku, Fukuoka, 814-01, Japan.
Okamoto
Y
Y
Nakajima
K
K
Suekawa
M
M
Liu
S Y
SY
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D015519:Bone Density; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009929:Organ Size; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010052:Ovariectomy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013977:Tibia / Q000378:metabolism; D014599:Uterus
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C054591:hachimijiogan; C063587:juzentaihoto; C058415:unkei-to