Wang Xinxiang, Wu Jian, Chiba Hiroshige, Umegaki Keizo, Yamada Kazuhiko, Ishimi Yoshiko
Division of Food Science, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, 1-23-1 Toyama, 162-8636, Tokyo, Shinjyuku-ku, Japan.
J Bone Miner Metab. 2003;21(5):268-75. doi: 10.1007/s00774-003-0420-z.
Puerariae radix (PR), the root of Pueraria labata (Willd.) Ohwi, a wild creeper leguminous plant, is one of the earliest and most important crude herbs used in Chinese medicine for various medicinal purposes. PR contains a high amount of isoflavonoids such as daidzein and genistein, which are known to prevent bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency. We have demonstrated that soybean isoflavones prevent bone loss in an osteoporotic animal model. To examine the possible role of PR in bone metabolism, female mice were ovariectomized (OVX), and some OVX mice were fed a diet containing low, middle, and high doses (5%, 10%, and 20% of diet, respectively) of PR for 4 weeks. In OVX mice, the uterine weight declined, and intake of PR at any dose did not affect uterine weight. The total femoral bone mineral density (BMD) was significantly reduced by OVX, and the decrease in BMD caused by OVX was significantly inhibited by intake of the diet with the low dose of PR and completely prevented by the middle dose of PR. Histological analysis of the femoral metaphysis showed that intake of the diet with the middle dose of PR completely prevented decrease in trabecular bone volume (BV/TV) and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) and restored the increase in trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) in OVX mice. In contrast, intake of the diet with the high dose of PR further increased BV/TV and Tb.Th and decreased Tb.Sp in OVX mice compared with that in the sham-operated mice. These results suggest that PR may represent a potential alternative medicine for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
葛根是野葛（豆科攀缘植物）的根，是中医最早且最重要的用于多种药用目的的天然草药之一。葛根含有大量异黄酮，如大豆苷元和染料木黄酮，已知这些成分可预防雌激素缺乏引起的骨质流失。我们已证明大豆异黄酮可预防骨质疏松动物模型中的骨质流失。为研究葛根在骨代谢中的可能作用，对雌性小鼠进行卵巢切除（OVX），部分OVX小鼠喂食含低、中、高剂量（分别占饮食的5%、10%和20%）葛根的饲料4周。在OVX小鼠中，子宫重量下降，任何剂量的葛根摄入均不影响子宫重量。OVX显著降低了股骨总骨矿物质密度（BMD），低剂量葛根饮食摄入可显著抑制OVX引起的BMD降低，中剂量葛根饮食可完全预防。股骨近端干骺端的组织学分析表明，中剂量葛根饮食摄入可完全预防OVX小鼠骨小梁体积（BV/TV）和骨小梁厚度（Tb.Th）的降低，并恢复骨小梁间距（Tb.Sp）的增加。相比之下，与假手术小鼠相比，高剂量葛根饮食摄入使OVX小鼠的BV/TV和Tb.Th进一步增加，Tb.Sp降低。这些结果表明，葛根可能是绝经后妇女预防骨质疏松症的激素替代疗法（HRT）的潜在替代药物。
