Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a major age-related health problem for women who often have negative calcium balance due to decrease in intestinal calcium absorption, insufficient dietary calcium intake, as well as increase in urinary Ca loss associated with estrogen deficiency during menopause.
1)Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been an established regime for prevention of postmenopausal bone loss, 2,3) but recent evidence indicates that its long-term use is accompanied by side effects, such as the increased risk of breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer. 4,5) Thus, alternative means of proven efficacy and safety should be developed for prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been widely used for thousands of years to treat fractures and joint diseases. Many herbs shown to have kidney-tonifying activities are used in TCM formulas for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.6) Although these herbal medicines are seen as cost-effective alternatives by their traditional users, their international acceptance as a major regimen for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis would require extensive research using modern science.The source of the crude drug, Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL, Chinese name, Nvzhenzi), is the fruit of Ligustrum lucidum Ait.7) It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 1000 years, mainly to treat such ailments as menopausal problems, blurred vision, tinnitus, rheumatic pains, palpitations, backache, insomnia as well as to alleviate age-related symptoms.8-10) It was first described in the Chinese Materia Medica, Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Anonymous, ca. 200 B.C). In the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, it has the effects of maintaining healthy energy, and nourishing the liver and kidneys, is therefore a commonly prescribed herbal material in a number of formulae used to tonify the kidneys and strengthen bone. 11,12) Modern research has shown that FLL is useful for prevention of bone marrow loss in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.13) Hao et al. observed that FLL induced ultrastructural changes on the corticotrophs of rat pituitary gland and provided morphological evidence for the action of FLL in modulating endocrine function.14) However, the beneficial effect on bone and mineral metabolism has not been scientifically evaluated.In this study, we investigated the effects of the crude FLL extract on bone and mineral metabolism, bone turnover marker and calcium balance in osteoporotic rats. The results provide evidence of the osteoprotective effects of this crude extract in ovariectomized rats.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Measurement of Oleanolic Acid in Fructus LigustriLucidi (FLL) Extract Dried extract powder of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi was purchased from 999 Company (Shenzhen, China), and the yield of the extract from original plant was 42%. A voucher specimen was deposited in the Shenzhen Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Products (Shenzhen, P.R.C.), where oleanolic acid was supplied. The con...