Therapeutic effect of Shinkiwhan, herbal medicine, regulates OPG/RANKL/RANK system on ovariectomy-induced bone loss rat

A Review on the Molecular Mechanisms of Action of Natural Products in Preventing Bone Diseases

The drugs used for treating bone diseases (BDs), at present, elicit hazardous side effects that include certain types of cancers and strokes, hence the ongoing quest for the discovery of alternatives with little or no side effects. Natural products (NPs), mainly of plant origin, have shown compelling promise in the treatments of BDs, with little or no side effects. However, the paucity in knowledge of the mechanisms behind their activities on bone remodeling has remained a hindrance to NPs’ adoption. This review discusses the pathological development of some BDs, the NP-targeted components, and the actions exerted on bone remodeling signaling pathways (e.g., Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor κ B-ligand (RANKL)/monocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF)/osteoprotegerin (OPG), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)s/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap-1)/nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2)/Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1), Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 (BMP2)-Wnt/β-catenin, PhosphatidylInositol 3-Kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 Beta (GSK3β), and other signaling pathways). Although majority of the studies on the osteoprotective properties of NPs against BDs were conducted ex vivo and mostly on animals, the use of NPs for treating human BDs and the prospects for future development remain promising.

Pharmacological systemic analysis of gardenia fructus against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and validation of animal models

[Purpose]

We aimed to investigate the systemic pharmacological analysis of gardenia fructus (GF) and the proof of concepts. We examined the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in high-fat (HF) diet mice.

[Methods]

The active compounds of GF and the target genes were identified using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Database and Analysis Platform (oral bioavailability ≥ 30%, Caco-2 permeability ≥ -0.4, and drug-likeness ≥ 0.18). The rats were divided into four groups: untreated group, HF group, HF and metformin (17 mg/kg) treated group, and HF and treated with GF (28 mg/kg) for 8 weeks group. Hepatic lesion changes and markers were analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry assay.

[Results]

In the systemic analysis, we identified 14 active compounds including A, B, and C. From these 14 compounds, 242 biological target genes were identified. The top 10 Gene Ontology were analyzed using GO-biological process analysis: removal of superoxide radicals, regulation of endothelial cell apoptotic process, and cellular response to lipopolysaccharide. GF extracts in high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mice models significantly regulated hepatic lesion markers, such as mTOR, 8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine as well as oxidative stress activities, TGF-β, and phosphorylation of ERK1/2.

[Conclusion]

These results suggest that GF, as an exercise supplement, can alleviate NAFLD disease or fatty liver inflammation. Further studies are required to verify the synergistic effect of GF treatment combined with exercise, which is known to alleviate NAFLD and fatty liver inflammation.