[Effects of Chinese herbal medicine for supplementing Shen and strengthening the bone on rat distal femur cancellous bone in simulated weightlessness: an observation with scanning electron microscope].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the effect of Chinese herbal medicine for supplementing Shen and strengthening the bone on distal femoral trabecular ultrastructure of male rats subjected to simulated weightlessness.


METHODS
Fifteen male SD rats were randomized equally into 3 groups, including a control group (group A, in which the rats were allowed free movement) and two simulated weightlessness (via tail suspension) groups (group B and C). The rats in group C were treated with the commercially available Chinese herbal preparation, and those in the other two groups received normal saline at the same dose, for a treatment course of 28 days. Observation of trabeculae was performed with scanning electron microscopy.


RESULTS
In group B, the trabeculae of the femur became thinner, fragile, discontinuous with reduced quantity as compared with those in group A. The rats in group C had greater number of the trabeculae than those in group B. Resorption surface decreased and the collagenous fiber were much more regular in group B.


CONCLUSIONS
The Chinese herbal medicine may produce beneficial effect on bone microstructure of rats subjected to simulated weightlessness.
Sun
Ping
P
Department of Endocrionology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, China. sing_ping@163.com
Huang
Zhen
Z
Cai
De-hong
DH
He
Lei
L
Wu
Chang-xing
CX
D000818:Animals; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005269:Femur / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018474:Weightlessness Simulation
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal