The effect of Lycii Radicis Cortex extract on bone formation in vitro and in vivo.

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a common skeletal disease caused by decreased bone mass; it

enhances the risk of bone fracture. This study aimed to discover novel herbal

extract(s) for the treatment of osteoporosis. We screened 64 ethanol extracts of

edible plants native to Korea for their ability to increase the cellular

proliferation and differentiation of two osteoblastic cell lines: C3H10T1/2 and

MC3T3-E1. We selected a Lycii Radicis Cortex (LRC), Lycium Chinese root bark as

the primary candidate. Treatment with LRC extract showed enhanced alkaline

phosphatase activity and increased expression of bone metabolic markers Alpl,

Runx2, and Bglap genes in both osteoblastic cell lines. There was no effect on

the osteoclastic differentiation of primary-cultured monocytes from the mouse

bone marrows. Furthermore, the study examined the effect of LRC extract in vivo

in ovariectomizd (OVX) mice for 8 weeks and 16 weeks, respectively. Bone mineral

density (BMD) was significantly higher in LRC extract-administered group than in

the non-LRC-administered OVX control group. The results indicated that LRC

extract prevented the OVX-induced BMD loss in mice via promoting the

differentiation of osteoblast linage cells. These results suggest that LRC

extract may be a good natural herbal medicine candidate for the treatment of

osteoporosis.