Improvement of calcium balance byFructus Ligustri Lucidiextract in mature female rats was associated with the induction of serum parathyroid hormone levels

Abstract

Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) is a commonly prescribed herb in many kidney-tonifying Traditional Chinese Medicinal formulae for the treatment of osteoporosis. The present study aimed to identify the active fractions in FLL and to characterise its effects on Ca balance, calciotropic hormone levels as well as bone properties in mature female rats fed diets containing different levels of Ca. In the present study, 4-month-old Sprague -Dawley female rats were treated with either FLL ethanol extract (EE), ethyl acetate-soluble fraction of EE (EAF), water-soluble fraction of EE (WF) or their vehicle for 12 weeks on a medium-Ca diet (MCD, 0·6 % Ca, 0·65 % P). Then, the Sprague -Dawley female rats treated with WF or its vehicle for 12 weeks were fed diets containing different levels of dietary Ca (low-Ca diet (LCD), 0·1 % Ca, 0·65 % P; MCD; high-Ca diet (HCD), 1·2 % Ca, 0·65 % P). The results demonstrated that WF from EE but not EAF exerted a prominent effect on Ca balance by inhibiting urinary and faecal Ca excretion. WF significantly increased Ca balance in rats fed MCD or HCD with an associated increase in serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. WF did not alter bone mineral density or bone mineral content of the tibia in all the rats fed with different levels of dietary Ca. In conclusion, WF was responsible for the positive actions of FLL on Ca absorption and balance. The regulation of Ca balance by WF might involve its action in stimulating PTH production in the mature female rats.

Combination therapy of Chinese herbal medicine Fructus Ligustri Lucidi with high calcium diet on calcium imbalance induced by ovariectomy in mice

“…The present study reported the regulation of FLL on CaSR, even though there is emerging evidence to demonstrate its regulation on calcium-transporting proteins Lyu et al, 2014;Zhang et al, 2008). Thus, the present results provided us with a clue that the potential effects of FLL on CaSR in parathyroid gland need to be further explored to explain the observed increase of serum PTH level as described previously (Dong et al, 2012). In addition, the possibility of FLL as CaSR antagonist should also be studied to show its potential on directly regulating bone metabolism by the increasing PTH level.…”

“…After 1 week of recovering from surgery, the ovariectomized (OVX) mice were randomly divided into four groups of eight: vehicle-treated (OVX), FLL-treated (OVX +F ), calcium-fortified (1.0% Ca) milk powder-treated (5 g/mice, OVX + M), and the combination of FLL and milk powder (OVX + FM). FLL was orally administered at dosage of 700 mg/kg as described previously (Dong et al, 2012;Zhang et al, 2008).…”

Protective effects of water fraction of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi extract against hypercalciuria and trabecular bone deterioration in experimentally type 1 diabetic mice

“…The crude plant was extracted with 70% ethanol, the mixture was filtered and lyophilized to dryness to obtain FLL ethanol extract, which was then suspended in hot water and made into dried powders by a process of evaporation and lyophilisation. The two most prominent peaks in WF-EE were identified to be nuezhenide and salidroside as demonstrated in our previous report (Dong et al, 2012).…”

“…It was prepared as previously described (Dong et al, 2012). Briefly, Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) was obtained from Jiangsu province of China.…”

“…When exploring the active component to account for the beneficial effects of FLL on mediating calcium homeostasis, it was found that the water-soluble fraction of FLL ethanol extract was responsible for the positive action of FLL in mature female rats (Dong et al, 2012). Thus, the present study was aimed to determine the effects of the water fraction of FLL ethanol extract on urinary calcium excretion and trabecular bone properties in streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic mice.…”