Bone remodeling, a physiological process characterized by bone formation by osteoblasts and bone resorption by osteoclasts, is important for the maintenance of healthy bone in adult humans. Osteoclasts play a critical role in bone erosion and osteoporosis and are bone-specific multinucleated cells generated through differentiation of monocyte/macrophage lineage precursors. Receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) has been reported to induce osteoclast differentiation. In this study, we explored whether Gracilaria verrucosa extracts (GE) could affect RANKL-mediated osteoclast differentiation. GE significantly inhibited RANKL-activated osteoclast differentiation by inhibiting protein expression of c-fos and nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1), vital factors in RANKL-mediated osteoclastogenesis. In addition, GE attenuated ovariectomy-induced bone loss in mice. In summary, GE can prevent osteoclastogenesis and hormone-related bone loss via blockage of c-fos-NFATc1 signaling. Our results suggest that GE may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.
CITATION STYLE
Kim, K. J., Lee, Y. J., Hwang, Y. H., Kang, K. Y., Yee, S. T., & Son, Y. J. (2017). In vitro and in vivo effects of Gracilaria verrucosa extracts on osteoclast differentiation. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm6030032
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