Antiosteoporotic activity of Dae-Bo-Won-Chun in ovariectomized rats

The preventive effect of the herbal formulation, 'Dae-Bo-Won-Chun' (DBWC), on the progress of bone loss induced by ovariectomy (OVX) was studied in ra ts. From light microscope analyses, porous or erosive appearances were obse rved on the surface of trabecular bone of tibia in ovariectomized rats, whe reas those of the same bone in sham-operated rats were composed of fine par ticles, The trabecular bone area and trabecular thickness in ovariectomized rats decreased by 50% from those in sham-operated rats, these decreases we re completely inhibited by administration of DBWC at a concentration of 10 mg/kg per day for 7 weeks. The mechanical strength of the neck of the femur was decreased by ovariectomy, and this was significantly suppressed by the administration of DBWC, Serum phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and thyroxi ne levels in ovariectomized rats increased compared with those in sham-oper ated rats, and increases were completely inhibited by the administration of DBWC, These results strongly suggest that DBWC is effective in preventing the development of bone loss induced by ovariectomy in rats. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.