title: Effects of velvet antler with blood on bone in ovariectomized rats.
abstract: In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), both velvet antlers (VA) and VA blood can tonify qi, essence, and marrow, nourish the blood, and invigorate bones and tendons. In TCM, the combination of VA and VA blood is believed to have superior pharmacological effects. Scientific evidence supporting the traditional therapeutic preference for redder antler is needed. The effectiveness of the combination therapy of VA middle sections (VAMs) and VA blood (VAM-B) was first examined in promoting proliferation of mouse osteoblastic cells (MC3T3-E1). The anti-osteoporotic activity of VAM-B (ratio of VAM:VA blood = 1:0.2) was evaluated with ovariectomized (OVX) rats at a dose of 0.2 g/kg. In VAM-B-treated OVX rats, the body weight decreased 10.7%, and the strength of vertebrae and the femur respectively increased 18.1% and 15.4%, compared to the control. VAM-B treatment also recovered the estrogen-related loss of the right tibial trabecular bone microarchitecture. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) significantly decreased, but estradiol did not significantly change in serum of VAM-B-treated OVX rats. We also provide an effective strategy to enhance the anti-osteoporotic activity of VAM. In conclusion, our results provide scientific evidence supporting the traditional therapeutic preference of redder antler and indicate that VAM-B is a potential therapeutic agent for managing osteoporosis.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei City 11031, Taiwan. m003089010@tmu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Sung-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Hsin-Ching
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Lih-Geeng
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ying-Jang
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Kun-Teng
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chun-Hsien
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Ching-Chiung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000999:Antlers; D001769:Blood; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000187:drug effects*; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003670:Deer; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000187:drug effects; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013131:Spine / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase