Antiosteoporotic effects of Alpinia officinarum Hance through stimulation of osteoblasts associated with antioxidant effects

Abstract

SummaryBackground/ObjectiveAlpinia officinarum Hance (AOH) is a traditional herbal medicine specific to south China and serves as a civil medication application of an antioxidant. Growing evidence demonstrates that antioxidants are beneficial for the treatment of osteoporosis. This study was designed to investigate the antiosteoporotic effects of total extracts from AOH in ovariectomised (OVX) rats and the different fractions in AOH on primary osteoblasts activities.MethodsThe total extract of AOH was extracted by refluxing using 95% ethanol, then the five fractions (F1–F5) were separated from AOH using thin-layer chromatography according to polarity from high to low, and the galangin content was determined using high performance liquid chromatography. In an in vivo study, 36 4-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were used as a Sham-operated group, OVX with vehicle (OVX), OVX with epimedium flavonoids (EF, 150 mg/kg/d), and OVX with AOH (AOH, 300 mg/kg/d), respectively. Daily oral administration started on Day 3 after OVX and lasted for 12 weeks. In the in vitro study, primary osteoblasts were incubated with AOH, galangin, and five different fractions (F1–F5) with or without hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), respectively.ResultsTreatment with AOH significantly attenuated osteopenia accompanied by a decreased percentage of osteoclast perimeter and bone formation rate per unit of bone surface, enhanced the bone strength, and prevented the deterioration of trabecular microarchitecture associated with a decrease in biochemical parameters of oxidative stress. Furthermore, treatment with AOH, F3, F4, and galangin increased cell viability, differentiation, and mineralisation in osteoblasts with or without H2O2 and rescued the deleterious effects of H2O2 on cell apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species level. The effects on osteoblast formation were highly aligned with the amounts of flavonoids within AOH.ConclusionThese data demonstrate that ethanol extracts from AOH significantly reverse bone loss, partially by increasing bone formation, and by suppressing bone resorption associated with antioxidant effects, suggesting that AOH can be developed as a promising agent for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

Resveratrol Ameliorates Glucocorticoid-Induced Bone Damage in a Zebrafish Model

“…The bones of zebrafish larvae have cells that are required for bone formation and bone resorption, and a zebrafish model of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) has already been established (Barrett et al., 2006; Schaaf et al., 2009). This model allows the observation of bone development in the zebrafish head and has been demonstrated to be helpful for screening drugs that promote bone development (Su et al., 2016).…”

Genistein contributes to cell cycle progression and regulates oxidative stress in primary culture of osteoblasts along with osteoclasts attenuation

“…Icariin, a prenylated flavonol glycoside, has been reported to have potential for bone cell formation using rat calvarial osteoblast culture [12]. Likewise, a Chinese medicinal plant, Alpinia officinarum-Hance., has shown osteogenic activity in both ovariectomized Sprague Dawley (SD) rats as well as in primary osteoblasts and has a protective role against the lethal effects of intracellular ROS generation [13]. Mice calvaria osteoblasts have been tested in vitro for osteoblast mineralization using water extract of Rumex crispus root [14].…”

Therapy for musculoskeletal disorders

“…One of the challenges of the currently used antiresorptive treatment options is that for reasons of safety, or lack of long-term antifracture data, they are all limited in their duration of use. This may provide an opportunity for strategies presented in this issue of JOT (Su et al [15] ; Luo et al [16] ; Chen et al [17] ) which are all based on Chinese traditional herbal medicines. So what are the limitations of existing antiresorptive therapies that these alternative treatment options would have to overcome, and what are the gaps that must be filled before they can be recommended for widespread clinical use in osteoporosis?…”

“…In this issue of JOT, two ‘milder’ treatment options, namely extracts from Alpinia officinarum (AOH) (Su et al [15] ) and Epimedii Folium (Chen et al [17] ), that are used in traditional Chinese medicine are presented, which may provide an alternative for long-term treatment of osteoporosis patients. In their study in ovariectomized rats (OVX), Su and colleagues [15] demonstrated that extracts of AOH exerted a mild antioxidant effect, increased bone formation and showed mild antiresorptive properties. Partial reversal of bone loss was achieved, and it remains to be seen whether it is possible to optimize the extraction procedure to enrich the active ingredients in order to achieve a more pronounced effect on bone, while maintaining the favourable profile on the uterus.…”