[Effect of icraiin on turnover of alveolar bone during orthodontic tooth movement in rats]

To observe the effect of icariin on turnover of paradentium as well as the mechanism of effects on osteoclast during orthodontic tooth movement in rats.Forty-right SD rats were used to establish animal models of OTM and divided into two groups randomly: the control group and the experimental group. Rats in the experimental group were given 20 mg/（kg.d） icariin by intragastric administration, while rats in the control group received solvent with the same volume. The rats were sacrificed in batch on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th day after orthodontic treatment. The amount of tooth movement was measured, and histomorphometric analysis based on slices from periodontium adjacent to the maxillary first molars was used to observe new bone formation, bone resorption and quantify osteoclasts. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS 16.0 software package.The movement distance of the first molar was significantly larger in the icariin group than that in the control group (P0.05). In the icariin group, the number of osteoclasts was significantly higher than the control group at the 7th day and then demonstrated a steady decrease.Icariin could accelerate OTM in rats through promoting bone turnover of alveolar bone.