Chinese herbal formulas for postmenopausal osteoporosis: A review of preclinical evidence on animal studies and molecular mechanism

Abstract

Whether Chinese herbal formulas are effective in treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis remains unclear. The aim of this study is to explore the experimental evidence of both in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies using Chinese herbal formulas in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Searches were applied to various databases with relevant keywords. Original in vivo and in vitro studies using Chinese herbal formulas to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis, and with full text available, were included. Er-Xian Decoction, Bu-Shen-Ning-Xin Decoction, Qing E Formula, Liuwei Dihuang Wan, and Xian-Ling-Gu-Bao Decoction, the most commonly studied formulas, were selected from the pool of Chinese medicine. The preclinical data indicated the potential use of Chinese herbal formulas in postmenopausal osteoporosis. The underlying mechanisms included bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), Wnt/[Formula: see text]-catenin, extracellular-signal-regulated kinase/c-Jun [Formula: see text] terminal kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK/JNK/MAPK), estrogen receptor (ER), and osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor [Formula: see text]B ligand (OPG/RANKL) signaling pathways. This study demonstrated the anti-osteoporotic effect of Chinese herbal formulas targeting different pathways in bone metabolism. Further study with adequate sample size and follow-up time, appropriate controls, and optimal blinding is required.

Molecular insights for an anti-osteoporotic properties of Litsea glutinosa on Saos-2 cells: An in-vitro approach

“…Study of apoptosis markers was also conducted to test our hypothesis. Expression profile of caspase 3, cytochrome C as an indicator of apoptosis has been reported earlier [ [56] , [57] , [58] ]. Downregulation of gene expression of cytochrome C and caspase 3 observed in the present study, suggests LG suppresses the expression of these apoptotic markers.…”

The synergistic effects of polyphenols and intestinal microbiota on osteoporosis

“…applied paeoniflorin to intervene osteoclast model differentiated from RAW 264.7 cell line to observe the effect of paeoniflorin on the osteoclast signaling pathway. The results suggested that paeoniflorin weakened the phosphorylation level of p65 NF-κB, that is, inhibited the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway ( 115 , 116 ). The NF-κB pathway is one of the main biological pathways of osteoclast differentiation ( 117 ).…”

“…Both peony and snake seeds are traditional Chinese medicine and contain polyphenols. By inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway, the production of osteoclasts is inhibited, to achieve the therapeutic effect of osteoporosis ( 116 ) Figure 3 .…”