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Effect of Dihuang rougui decoction on ovariectomyinduced osteoporosis in rats
Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the effect of Dihuang Rougui Decoction (DRD) on ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats.
Methods: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to a normal group (control) and five ovariectomy (OVX) subgroups: OVX with vehicle (OVX), OVX with positive control drug (alendronate sodium tablets, 1.6 mg/kg/week), and OVX + DRD (75, 150 or 300 mg/kg/day). After the rats were subjected to ovariectomy for 4 weeks, fosamax or DRD were administered daily (orally) for 16 weeks. The bone mineral density (BMD) of the L4 vertebrae and right femurs of the rats was evaluated. Serum hormones estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin (OC) and telopeptides of collagen type I (CTx) levels of the rats were determined. The bone tissue morphology of the rats was examined by microscopy.
Results: The results show that DRD dose-dependently inhibited bone mineral density (BMD) reduction of L4 vertebrae and femurs (both p < 0.05). DRD significantly increased serum E2, FSH and LH levels (p < 0.05) in the osteoporotic rats, and significantly lowered serum ALP, CTx and OC concentrations, compared to OVX group (p < 0.01). Compared with OVX model group, bone trabeculae in all three DRD groups and nilestriol groups were wider, and the space and connections markedly increased. Furthermore, the medullary cavity reduced in size.
Conclusion: These findings indicate that DRD mitigates OVX-induced osteoporosis in rats, and thus, the decoction has a potential for clinical management of osteoporosis patients.
Keywords: Dihuang Rougui decoction, Osteoporosis, Ovariectomy, Bone mineral density, Serum bone marker, Bone tissue morphology