Puerarin prevents bone loss in ovariectomized mice and inhibits osteoclast formation in vitro.
The present study aimed at investigating the effects of Puerarin (PR), a major isoflavonoid isolated from the Chinese medicinal herb Puerariae radix, on bone metabolism and the underlying mechanism of action. The in vivo assay, female mice were ovariectomized (OVX), and the OVX mice were fed with a diet containing low, middle, and high doses of PR (2, 4, and 8 mg·d(-1), respectively) or 17β-estradiol (E2, 0.03 μg·d(-1)) for 4 weeks. In OVX mice, the uterine weight declined, and intake of PR at any dose did not affect uterine weight, compared with the control. The total femoral bone mineral density (BMD) was significantly reduced by OVX, which was reversed by intake of the diet with PR at any dose, especially at the low dose. In the in vitro assay, RAW264.7 cells were used for studying the direct effect of PR on the formation of osteoclasts. PR reduced the formation of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive multi-nucleated cells in the RAW 264.7 cells induced by receptor activator for nuclear factor-κB Ligand (RANKL). MC3T3-E1 cells were used for studying the effects of PR on the expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and RANKL mRNA expression in osteoblasts. The expression of OPG mRNA and RANKL mRNA was detected by RT-PCR on Days of 5, 7, 10, and 12 after PR exposure. PR time-dependently enhanced the expression of OPG mRNA and reduced the expression of RANKL mRNA in MC3T3-E1 cells. In conclusion, our results suggest that PR can effectively prevent bone loss in OVX mice without any hyperplastic effect on the uterus, and the antiosteoporosis activity of PR may be related to its effects on the formation of osteoclasts and the expression of RANKL OPG in osteoblasts.
School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
Si-Yuan
SY
Yuan
Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
Tong
T
Sheng
School of Basic Medicine Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
Lian-Qi
LQ
Liu
Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
Yun-Ling
YL
Zhang
Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
Xue-Mei
XM
Liu
Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
Tao
T
Ma
Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
Hong
H
Zheng
Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
Yan
Y
Yan
National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo 163-8001, Japan.
Yoshiko
Y
Ishimi
Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China. Electronic address: wangxinxiangcn@aliyun.com.
Xin-Xiang
XX
Wang
D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051379:Mice; D010010:Osteoclasts / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053244:Osteoprotegerin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010052:Ovariectomy; D029908:Pueraria / Q000737:chemistry; D053245:RANK Ligand / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007529:Isoflavones; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D053245:RANK Ligand; C506031:Tnfrsf11b protein, mouse; C033607:puerarin
Osteoblast; Osteoclast; Osteoporosis; Ovariectomized mice; Puerarin