Effects of Alternative Medicine Extract on Bone Mineral Density, Bone Strength and Biochemical Markers of Bone Metabolism in Ovariectomized Rats

To prevent and treat the osteoporosis, diverse therapies have been applied, which is still need to solve negative side effects. We investigated the effects of the extract from alternative medicine(AM) on the progress of bone loss in ovariectomized-rats fed with Ca-deficient diet for 7 or 14 weeks. Ovariectomy(OVX) concomitant with Ca-deficiency caused bone loss evidently decreased in bone mineral density and bone strength of femoral epiphysis and vertebrae, which were ameliorated with administration of AM extract. Also, the effect of AM extract on the biochemical markers were measured. The increased serum alkaline phosphatase caused by OVX and Ca-deficiency were observed, which were not affected by administration of AM extract. Administration of AM extract may have preventive effect on the elevated serum acid phosphatase concentrations caused by OVX and Ca-deficiency at 14 wks, implicating that AM extract possibly acts toward reducing born resorption, even though the results were not statistically significant. Serum osteocalcin and urinary deoxypyridinoline, the markers of bone turn over, were not changed by estrogen deficiency or AM extract. We concluded that the AM extract treatment had potently preventive effects on the decreased bone density and bone strength induced by OVX and Ca-deficiency. The changes of biochemical markers related to the effect of AM extract were not manifested but it still suggest that AM extract may inhibit the bone resorption derived from OVX and Ca-deficiency.