Bovine lactoferrin improves bone mass and microstructure in ovariectomized rats via OPG/RANKL/RANK pathway
- 20 August 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Acta Pharmacologica Sinica
- Vol. 33 (10), 1277-1284
- https://doi.org/10.1038/aps.2012.83
Abstract
Lactoferrin (LF), an 80-kDa iron-binding glycoprotein, is a pleiotropic factor found in colostrum, milk, saliva and epithelial cells of the exocrine glands. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of LF on the bones in ovariectomized (Ovx) rats and to identify the pathways that mediate the anabolic action of LF on the bones. Female Sprague-Dawley rats (6-month-old) underwent ovariectomy, and were treated with different doses of LF (10, 100, 1000, and 2000 mg·kg−1·d−1, po) or with 7β-estradiol (0.1 mg·kg−1, im, each week) as the positive control. By the end of 6 month-treatments, the bone mass and microstructure in the rats were scanned by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and the bone metabolism was evaluated with specific markers, and the mRNA levels of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and the receptor-activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL) in femur were measured using qRT-PCR. LF treatment dose-dependently elevated the bone volume (BV/TV), trabecular thickness (TbTh) and trabecular number (TbN), and reduced the trabecular separation (TbSp) in Ovx rats. Furthermore, higher doses of LF (1000 and 2000 mg·kg−1·d−1) significantly increased the bone mineral density (BMD) compared with the untreated Ovx rats. The higher doses of LF also significantly increased the serum levels of OC and BALP, and decreased the serum levels of β-CTx and NTX. LF treatment significantly increased the OPG mRNA levels, and suppressed the RANKL mRNA levels, and the RANKL/OPG mRNA ratio in Ovx rats. Oral administration of LF preserves the bone mass and improves the bone microarchitecture. LF enhances bone formation, reduces bone resorption, and decreases bone mass loss, possibly through the regulation of OPG/RANKL/RANK pathway.Keywords
This publication has 30 references indexed in Scilit:
- Oral bovine lactoferrin improves bone status of ovariectomized miceAmerican Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2009
- Orally Administered Lactoferrin Preserves Bone Mass and Microarchitecture in Ovariectomized RatsJournal of Nutrition, 2009
- Effect of lactoferrin-embedded collagen membrane on osteogenic differentiation of human osteoblast-like cellsJournal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, 2009
- Twenty-five years of research on bovine lactoferrin applicationsBiochimie, 2008
- OsteoimmunologyInternational Archives of Allergy and Immunology, 2006
- Lactoferrin potently inhibits osteoblast apoptosis, via an LRP1-independent pathwayMolecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 2006
- Enhanced T-Cell Expression of RANK Ligand in Acute Coronary SyndromeArteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 2006
- Osteoclast differentiation and activationNature, 2003
- Evaluation of Risk for Osteoporosis FracturesPublished by Elsevier BV ,2002
- Relationship of Bone Turnover to Bone Density and FracturesJournal of Bone and Mineral Research, 1997