title: Effects of salvianolate on bone metabolism in glucocorticoid-treated lupus-prone B6.MRL-Fas (lpr) /J mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the bone-protective effects of salvianolate (Sal), a total polyphenol from Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae, on bone tissue in the spontaneous lupus-prone mouse model, B6.MRL-Fas (lpr) /J, undergoing glucocorticoid (GC) treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen-week-old female B6.MRL-Fas (lpr) /J mice were administered either a daily dose of saline (lupus group), prednisone 6 mg/kg (GC group), Sal 60 mg/kg (Sal group); or GC plus Sal (GC + Sal group) for a duration of 12 weeks. Age-matched female C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) mice were used for control. Micro-computed tomography assessments, bone histomorphometry analysis, bone biomechanical test, immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting analysis for bone markers, and renal histology analysis were performed to support our research endeavor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lupus mice developed a marked bone loss and deterioration of mechanical properties of bone due to an increase in bone resorption rather than suppression of bone formation. GC treatment strongly inhibited bone formation in lupus mice. Sal treatment significantly attenuated osteogenic inhibition, and also suppressed hyperactive bone resorption, which recovered the bone mass and mechanical properties of bone in both the untreated and GC-treated lupus mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data support further preclinical investigation of Sal as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus-related bone loss.
authors: College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou City; Department of Pharmacology, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang.
authors: Yanzhi
authors: Y
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou.
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Cui
authors: Department of Rheumatology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou.
authors: Xiao
authors: X
authors: Zhang
authors: Stem Cell Research and Cellular Therapy Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, People's Republic of China.
authors: Xiang
authors: X
authors: Gao
authors: Department of Pharmacology, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang.
authors: Yanjie
authors: Y
authors: Su
authors: Department of Pharmacology, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang.
authors: Bilian
authors: B
authors: Xu
authors: Department of Pharmacology, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang.
authors: Tie
authors: T
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Pharmacology, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang.
authors: Wenshuang
authors: W
authors: Chen
authors: College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou City; Department of Pharmacology, Guangdong Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang.
authors: Liao
authors: L
authors: Cui
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D010936:Plant Extracts; C561960:salvianolate
keywords: MRL; SLE; bone; osteoporosis; skeleton