Anti-osteoporotic study on xanthohumol, an active ingredient in Humulus lupulus L.

Objective To evaluate the anti-osteoporotic effect of xanthohumol (XN) in animal and osteoblast. Methods The anti-osteoporotic study on XN was performed with ovariectomized mice model. Serum biochemical indexes, bone mineral density (BMD) and bone histomorphology were measured using Elisa kits and Micro-CT analysis. In vitro test, the effect of XN on osteoblastic proliferation, differentiation and mineralization were assayed. The expression of protein related to bone formation was measured by Western blot analysis. Results In vivo experiments, XN significantly increased the estrogen level, reduced the high bone turnover rate, improved the microenvironment and BMD in ovariectomized mice. In vitro experiments, XN protected bone loss not only by promoting osteoblastic proliferation, ALP activity and bone mineralization, but also through increasing the expression of osteopontin (OPN), bone sialoprotein (BSP) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2). Conclusion This is the first report to confirm that XN has anti-osteoporotic effect, which provides a new approach for the clinical treatment of osteoporosis.