La planta china medicinal Curculigo orchioides previene la osteoporosis.

Las medicinas naturales derivadas de las plantas han recibido atención para la prevención y el tratamiento de la osteoporosis. Esto se debe a sus características únicas, ya que se pueden realizar tratamientos más largos, comparado con las sustancias fabricadas de manera sintética, que muestran más efectos adversos.
Curculigo orchioides tiene una larga historia en el tratamiento de la osteoporosis menopáusica en la medicina tradicional china. El estudio mostrado aquí se diseñó para investigar los efectos protectores del extracto etanólico de Curculigo orchioides en la pérdida ósea inducida por ovarectomia en ratas. Como conclusión, el extracto etanólico de Curculigo orchioides tuvo un efecto protector en la pérdida osea en este modelo, mediante la inhibición de la reabsorción ósea y el aumento de los niveles plasmáticos de fósforo y cálcio, sin afectar a la formación ósea. Por ello, Curculigo orchioides puede ser considerada una planta con propiedades potenciales para el tratamiento de la osteoporosis, aunque se necesitan más estudios para conocer con claridad los constituyentes químicos implicados y su mecanismo de acción.

Maturitas. 2008 May 9. Curculigo orchioides, a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, prevents bone loss in ovariectomized rats. Cao DP, Zheng YN, Qin LP, Han T, Zhang H, Rahman K, Zhang QY.

Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China; College of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, People's Republic of China.

OBJECTIVE: Natural medicines derived from plants have aroused increasing interest in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. This is due to their unique characteristics as these are more suitable for long-term use compared with synthesized chemicals and have apparently fewer adverse effects. Curculigo orchioides (CO) has a long history in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis in traditional Chinese medicine. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of ethanol extracts of CO on ovariectomy-induced bone loss. METHODS: Sixty female (4.5-month-old) Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to sham and OVX groups. The OVX rats were further divided into five subgroups treated respectively, with vehicle, nylestriol (1mg/kg, i.g.) and CO extract (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0g/kg, i.g.) for 12 weeks. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured by peripheral quantitative computerized tomography (pQCT) densitometry. Serum phosphorus, calcium, ACTH, corticosterone, deoxypyridinoline crosslinks to creatinine ratio (DPD/Cr), alkaline phosphate (ALP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), osteoprotegerin (OPG), IL-6, and TNF-alpha were also determined. RESULTS: Administration of CO extract prevented bone loss in the trabecular bone of the tibia in ovariectomized rats without affecting the weight of the body and the uterus, and increased serum phosphorus, calcium, and OPG levels, decreased serum DPD/Cr, TRAP, ACTH, and corticosterone levels, but did not alter serum TNF-alpha, IL-6, and ALP levels in ovariectomized rats. CONCLUSION: CO ethanol extract has a definite protective effect on bone loss in ovariectomized rats by inhibiting bone resorption and increasing serum phosphorus and calcium levels, without affecting bone formation. Therefore, CO can be considered a potential antiosteoporosis herbal plant, although more studies are needed to clarify its real potential chemical constituents and their mechanism of action.