title: Effects of zuogui pill (see text) on Wnt singal transduction in rats with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To reveal the mechanism of Zuogui Pill (see text) in treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis from the angle of the Wnt signal transduction pathway and to provide further experimental evidence for expounding the scientific connotation of "the kidney dominating the bones" in TCM.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two male Wistar rats were selected and randomly divided into three groups, control group (n = 12), model group (n = 15) and Zuogui Pill group (n = 15). Form the beginning, The rats were injected dexamethasone for eight weeks to make the model of osteoporosis, and the Zuogui Pill were administered intragastrically to the rats of Zuogui Pill group for eight weeks. The relative morphological parameters were measured in the undecalcified tibial slices. And the protein expression levels of Wnt1, LRP-5 and beta-catenin in rat tibial osteoblasts (OB) and bone marrow stromal cells (BMC) were detected by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the control group, TBV% and TFS% decreased significantly, while TRS% increased significantly, and the protein expression of Wnt1, LRP-5 and beta-catenin in OB and BMC decreased significantly in the model group. And compared with the model group, TBV% and TFS% increased significantly, and expression levels of Wnt1, LRP-5 and beta-catenin proteins increased significantly in the Zuogui pill group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Zuogui Pill can prevent and treat glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in rats by up-regulating the expression of the key signal molecules Wnt1, LRP-5 and beta-catenin in Wnt signal transduction pathway.
authors: Institute of Basic Theories, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors: Mei-Jie
authors: MJ
authors: Liu
authors: Yan
authors: Y
authors: Li
authors: Jing-Hua
authors: JH
authors: Pan
authors: Hong
authors: H
authors: Liu
authors: Shao-Jun
authors: SJ
authors: Wang
authors: Jing-Ru
authors: JR
authors: Teng
authors: Hong-Yan
authors: HY
authors: Zhao
authors: Da-Hong
authors: DH
authors: Ju
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D026502:LDL-Receptor Related Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D060492:Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-5; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D026502:LDL-Receptor Related Proteins; D060492:Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-5; C555484:Lrp5 protein, rat; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; C552040:zuogui