Study on the Effects of Curculigoside on Proliferation, Differentiation, and Calcification of Mouse Osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 Cells

Abstract This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of Curculigoside (CCG) on the proliferation, differentiation, and calcification of mouse osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. MTT assay was applied in the evaluation of MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation with CCG at different doses for different incubation periods. Alizarin red staining method was applied to observe the effect of CCG on the bone nodule formation of cells. The differentiating effects of CCG with different concentrations in cells were evaluated through the examination of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities by PNPP. The results showed that CCG is effective in promoting the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells cultured for 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h at doses ranging from 10 −4 mol·L −1 to 10 −8 mol·L −1 . CCG at the concentration of 10 −9 mol·L −1 remarkably increased the bone nodule formation of cells. The activity of ALP was stimulated by CCG at doses of 10 −7 mol·L −1 and 10 −9 mol·L −1 after 96 h of incubation. It was concluded that CCG has effects on stimulating the proliferation, differentiation, and calcification of MC3T3-E1 cells.