M13, an anthraquinone compound isolated from Morinda officinalis promotes the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs by targeting Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Morinda Officinalis Polysaccharides Inhibit Osteoclast Differentiation by Regulating miR-214-3p/NEDD4L in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis Mice

To investigate the potential mechanism of Morinda officinalis F. C. How polysaccharides (MOPs) in regulating osteoclast differentiation and apoptosis through miR-214-3p and its target protein. Ovariectomy was performed in 8-week female C57BL6 mice to establish the postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) model. Mice were treated immediately with 500 mg/kg of MOPs (prevention group); others were treated 2 weeks after operation (treatment group). Left femur bone mineral density (BMD) was examined. RAW264.7 cells were administered with receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) to establish the osteoclast (OC) model and treated with serum containing 1 or 2 g/kg of MOPs. Apoptosis-related indexes, miR-214-3p, and Expressed Developmentally Down-regulated 4-Like (NEDD4L) were detected by western blot, quantitative real-time-reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and flow cytometry. OC received a miR-214-3p inhibitor or NEDD4L small interfering RNA (siRNA). MOPs reversed the PMOP-induced changes in bones. Compared with the RANKL group, MOPs increased the apoptosis and related markers in OCs. MOPs decreased the femur miR-214-3p of PMOP mice (P < 0.001). Higher concentrations of MOPs reversed the upregulation of miR-214 mRNA in OCs (P < 0.001). miR-214-3p inhibitor increased the expression of Bax and CC3 (P < 0.01) and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 (P < 0.05). NEDD4L is targeted by miR-214. NEDD4L was upregulated in the RANKL + MOPs group (P < 0.01). miR-214-3p inhibitor increased the upregulation of NEDD4L induced by MOPs (P < 0.05). siRNA NEDD4L significantly reversed the inhibition of MOPs on osteoclast differentiation with miR-214-3p inhibitor (P < 0.01). MOPs effectively prevent PMOP by inhibiting osteoclastogenesis and inducing OC apoptosis through the miR-214-3p/NEDD4L pathway.

Regulation of bone homeostasis by traditional Chinese medicine active scaffolds and enhancement for the osteoporosis bone regeneration

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), such as naringin (NG), Eucommiol, isopsoralen, icariin, Astragalus polysaccharides, and chondroitin sulfate, contained in Drynariae Rhizoma, Eucommiae Cortex, Psoralea corylifolia, Herba Epimedii, Astragalus radix and deer antler, are considered promising candidates for enhancing the healing of osteoporotic defects due to their outstanding bone homeostasis regulating properties. They are commonly used to activate bone repair scaffolds.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

Bone repair scaffolds are inadequate to meet the demands of osteoporotic defect healing due to the lack of regulation of bone homeostasis. Therefore, selecting bone scaffolds activated with TCM to improve the therapeutic effect of repairing osteoporotic bone defects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To gather information on bone scaffold activated by traditional Chinese medicine, we conducted a thorough search of several scientific databases, including Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scifinder, Baidu Scholar, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI).

RESULTS

This review discusses the mechanism of TCM active ingredients in regulating bone homeostasis, including stimulating bone formation and inhibiting bone resorption process and the healing mechanism of traditional bone repair scaffolds activated by them for osteoporotic defect healing.

CONCLUSION

In general, the introduction of TCM active ingredients provides a novel therapeutic approach for modulating bone homeostasis and facilitating osteoporotic defect healing, and also offers a new strategy for design of other unconventional bone defect healing materials.

Anti-inflammatory monoterpenes from morinda (Morinda officinalis How.)

Morinda (Morinda officinalis How.) is widely consumed as a functional food owing to its potential to promote health. This study investigated the anti-inflammatory phytochemicals of morinda and isolated 30 monoterpenes, including 6 undescribed iridoids (1, 6, 9-11 and 25), 2 undescribed acyclic monoterpenoids (28, 29), a known acyclic monoterpenoid and 21 known iridoids. Their chemical and stereo-structures were elucidated based on HR-ESI-MS, NMR, 13C-NMR calculations, ECD data and ECD calculations. Notably, compounds 11, 12 and 20 exerted pronounced inhibitory effects on lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophages, with IC50 values of 28.51 ± 1.70, 25.45 ± 4.17 and 29.17 ± 3.71 μM respectively (indomethacin, IC50 of 33.68 ± 2.19 μM). The same compounds exert anti-inflammatory effects by blocking nuclear translocation of nuclear factor κ-B, and down-regulating the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 at mRNA and protein levels in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that moderate consumption of morinda helps prevent and reduce the occurrence of inflammatory-related diseases.