Effects of a herbal formula on biochemical markers of bone turnover in ovariectomlzed rats

Objective: To investigate the effect and mechanism of a Chinese herbal formula MG in ameliorating estrogen deficiency bone loss. Methods: 10-month old female rats were randomly divided into three groups: ovariectomized (OVX), OVX treated with MG decoction (OVX-M) and OVX treated with estrogen injection (OVX-E). The urinary pyridinoline creatinine ratio (Pyd/Cr), deoxypyridinoline creatinine ratio (Dpd/Cr), and plasma alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were determined at the baseline, 1,4,8 and 12 postoperative weeks. Results: Our data showed an average increase of 93% in Pyd/Cr (P<0.001), 180% inDpd/Cr (P<0.005) and 59% in plasma ALP (P<0.001) respectively in the OVX group after ovariectomy. Compared with OVX rats, the increase of the OVX-M group were prevented 39% in Pyd/Cr, 102% in Dpd/Cr and 19% in ALP respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion: The herbal formula MG possesses a therapeutic effect on estrogen dependent bone loss by inhibiting the bone turnover as estrogen replacement.