Reply #14: Perhaps I was, but isn't there some benefit to be gained with [View All]

bone loss if the endocrine system is supported, or if plant based therapies are used to support the endocrine system?

1: Planta Med. 2004 Mar;70(3):220-6. Related Articles, Links


In vivo antiosteoporotic activity of a fraction of Dioscorea spongiosa and its constituent, 22-O-methylprotodioscin.

Yin J, Tezuka Y, Kouda K, Le Tran Q, Miyahara T, Chen Y, Kadota S.

Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan.

The antiosteoporotic activity of the 90 % EtOH fraction of the water extract of rhizomes of Dioscorea spongiosa and methylprotodioscin, its major constituent, were examined in the model of postmenopausal bone loss using ovariectomized (OVX) rats or mice. After 6 weeks treatment, the proximal tibia of rats or mice and the distal femora of mice were scanned by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Both the 90 % EtOH fraction (100 mg/kg/d) and methylprotodioscin (50 mg/kg/d) significantly inhibited bone loss in bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) in total, cancellous and cortical bones, and the decrease in bone strength indexes induced by OVX, without side effect on the uterus.

PMID: 15114498


1: Biol Pharm Bull. 2004 Apr;27(4):583-6. Related Articles, Links


Antiosteoporotic activity of the water extract of Dioscorea spongiosa.

Yin J, Tezuka Y, Kouda K, Tran QL, Miyahara T, Chen Y, Kadota S.

Institute of Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.

After 60 MeOH and water extracts of natural crude drugs were screened for their ability to stimulate osteoblast proliferation, four MeOH extracts (Cynomorium songaricum, Drynaria fortunei, Lycium chinense, Rehmannia glutinosa) and seven water extracts (Cornus officinalis, Dendrobium nobile, Dioscorea spongiosa, Drynaria fortunei, Eucommia ulmoides, Lycium chinensis, Viscum coloratum) showed that potent activities were evaluated for inhibition of osteoclast formation. The results indicated that the water extract of D. spongiosa not only showed the strongest stimulation of osteoblast proliferation but also possessed potent inhibitory activity aganist osteoclast formation, whereas it showed lower cytotoxicity in osteoblast and bone marrow cells. A further in vivo experiment determined the antiosteoporotic activity of this extract, in which it inhibited the decrease in cancellous bone mineral content, cancellous bone mineral density, and cortical bone mineral content of the proximal tibia in ovariectomized rats.

PMID: 15056872