Background and Purposes : The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the water extract of Cnidium Rhizoma (wCR) which is widely used for the treatment of gynecologic disorder after the menopause on decreasing mRNA expression related with osteoporotic bone resorption, osteoclast differentiation and controling osteoporosis happened increasingly during the period of the menopause.
Materials and methods : For in vitro, Raw 264.7 cells were treated with RANKL to differentiate to osteoclasts. wCR (100, 250, 500, 1000 μg/mL) was added to experimental group. And the number of TRAP - which is known as the marker of mature osteoclast - positive cells and its activity, pit area, mRNA expression of TRAP, NFATc1, RANK, c-Fos, CTK, CTR, MMP-9, CAⅡ, western blotting of NFATc1, c-Fos were determined. For in vivo, female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were ovariectomized and divided into sham operated group and ovariectomized (OVX) group. Water, 17β-estradiol and wCR was orally administered to OVX group and water to sham group. After 8 weeks we sacrificed rats and measured the body weight, uterus weight, femur weight, tibia ash weight, trabecular area and osteocalcin, AST and ALT.
Results and conclusions : wCR decreased the number of TRAP positive cells, its activity and pit area. Also, wCR decreased mRNA expression of TRAP, NFATc1, c-Fos, MMP-9, RANK, CAⅡ, CTK, CTR in osteoclast. It is concluded that wCR might decrease the osteoporotic bone resorption by decreasing osteoclast differentiation and mRNA expression related with bone resorption. The femur weight, tibia ash weight, trabecular area in wCR group showed increase in comparison with OVX group. The level of osteocalcin in wCR group showed decrease in comparison with OVX group. The level of AST and ALT in wCR group showed no significant change in comparison with Sham and OVX group. These experimental results showed the efficacy of wCR on treatment of osteoporosis.