Prevention of Radix Rehmanniae Preparata on Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis in Rats

Abstract

The aim of present study is investigating the preventive effects of Radix Rehmanniae Preparata (PPR) on glucocoroticoids-induced osteoporosis rats. Forty-eight 3-month SD rats were divided into baseline (BAS) group, age control (CON) group, and glucocorticoids group. The glucocorticoids group were further divided into GC group (n=8) treated with glucocorticoids only, GC+ CaD group was given glucocorticoids plus calcium carbonate (375 mg·kg-1·d-1 oral) and vitamin D3 50 U/kg per day oral; GC+ low dose RRP group were treated with glucocoroticoids plus PPR (4 ml·kg-1·d-1 oral); GC+ high dose RRP group were treated with glucocoroticoids plus PPR (7.5 ml·kg-1·d-1oral). After 24 weeks of treatment, the rats were sacrificed under sterile conditions. The right tibiae were removed for bone histomorphometry, and the right femurs were stored for bone biomechanics testing. In GC group, body weight, Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), C-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP), were increased.% Tb.Ar, Tb.Wi, Tb.N and modulus of rigidity indices decrease significantly and Tb.Sp indices increased significantly in GC group compared with the CON group, while RRP and calcium carbonate with vitamin D3 can prevented the decreased in bone histomorphometry and biomechanical quality. The present results suggest that RRP prevent glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis by improving bone formation.