Regulation of the differentiation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts by a hot-water extract of adzuki beans (Vigna angularis).

Osteoporosis is a global public health problem thought to be caused by an imbalance in bone metabolism. We examined in this study the 40% ethanol fraction of HP-20 resin in combination with a hot-water adzuki extract (EtEx.40) for its effect on osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation. EtEx.40-treated murine preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells exhibited significantly elevated alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization. EtEx.40 facilitated osteoblast differentiation by up-regulating such osteoblast differentiation-related molecules as runt-related transcription factor 2, distal-less homeobox 5, and osterix via p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. EtEx.40 also suppressed the formation of large tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinucleated cells in RAW264.7 cells that had been stimulated with the receptor activator of the nuclear factor κB ligand/macrophage colony-stimulating factor. EtEx.40 significantly inhibited NF-κB activation, thus reducing the expression of such downstream molecules as c-Fos and NFATc1. Our findings suggest that EtEx.40 could be used to maintain bone mass.