title: Combination therapy of Chinese herbal medicine Fructus Ligustri Lucidi with high calcium diet on calcium imbalance induced by ovariectomy in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our previous biological study demonstrated that Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL), the fruit of Ligustrum lucidum Ait. (Oleaceae), could be used to maintain calcium balance and prevent age-related osteoporosis since it effectively decreased calcium loss and increased calcium retention in rats.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study investigates the combination effect of the Chinese herbal medicine FLL and a high calcium diet on calcium imbalance induced by ovariectomy in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ovariectomized (OVX) mice were orally treated with vehicle, FLL extract (700 mg/kg), milk powder (5 g/mice) fortified with calcium (1.0% Ca) and the combination of FLL with milk powder. After 6 weeks of treatment, urine, serum, and tibia were preserved for biochemical analysis and kidneys were taken for gene expression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The combination treatment of FLL and a high calcium diet significantly increased bone calcium content (6.80 ± 0.34 mg) by 22% (p < 0.05) and decreased urine calcium excretion (0.099 ± 0.009 mg/mg) by 62% (p < 0.01) as compared with those of the OVX group (bone Ca, 5.57 ± 0.31 mg; urine Ca/Cr, 0.261 ± 0.017 mg/mg). The mRNA expression of renal calcium-binding protein-9k (CaBP-9k) and calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) in combination treatment group was significantly up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively, as compared with those of the OVX group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The beneficial effects of this combination therapy on calcium balance of OVX mice were, at least partially, attributed to its regulation on mRNA expression of CaBP-9k and CaSR in kidney.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology, Bright Dairy Research Institute , Shanghai , China .
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mukwaya
authors.forename: Hai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Xiao-Min
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jiu-Lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Hai-Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000379:methods; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D031659:Ligustrum; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D010052:Ovariectomy / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D002118:Calcium
keywords: Bone; calcium-sensing receptor; estrogen deficiency; kidney