Study of the mechanisms by which Sambucus williamsii HANCE extract exert protective effects against ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in vivo

The purpose of this study is to investigate the dose-dependent effects of SWH on bone properties and the mechanism involved in mediating the osteoprotective actions of SWH. The results indicated that SWH could improve bone properties by inhibiting the process of bone resorption and stimulating the process of bone formation. Our previous study showed that Sambucus williamsii HANCE (SWH) improved trabecular bone mass and cortical bone strength in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. The purpose of this study is to investigate the dose-dependent effects of SWH on bone properties and the mechanism involved in mediating the osteoprotective actions of SWH. Three-month-old C57BL/6J mice were fed a phytoestrogen-free diet and subjected to either ovariectomy or sham operation. OVX mice were treated with genistein (50 mg/kg), or a low (200 mg/kg), medium (500 mg/kg), or high (1,000 mg/kg) dose of SWH extract. SWH could dose-dependently decrease urinary Ca excretion and increase serum Ca level in OVX mice. It could increase tibial bone mineral density and exert beneficial effects on the microarchitecture of trabecular bone in the OVX mice. SWH suppressed the ovariectomy-induced expression of Cbfa1 mRNA and cathepsin K mRNA and enhanced the ratio of OPG/RANKL mRNA expression in the tibia. In vitro study showed that SWH dramatically reduced the number of TRAP-positive cells in RANKL-induced RAW 264.7 cells. The present study indicated that SWH could improve bone properties by inhibiting the process of bone resorption and stimulating the process of bone formation.